Lily bugs

how do I get rid of them without necessarily using chemicals. Have googled and one site said use sunflower oil in a spray and must crush the adults and get rid of the larvae.

thank you so much , have just checked and had to kill some more so will keep checking.

Check under the leaves, too, for their eggs (laid in batches of 20 or so).  Those are also bright red and can easily be rubbed off - much less messy than dealing with the larvae!

thank you

never had them before and where do they come from as the lily affected have had for years - did see that some times they come in compost but have only added bark to the area - could they have been in there then.?

Like most beetles, they can fly and are attracted by the smell of lily plants.  They are an invasive species which are not native to the UK but are now extremely widespread here - so much so that some folk have actually given up growing lilies.  Keep a look out for them, especially when the sun is out, as it is then that they usually sit on the highest leaves and waft pheremones into the air to attract a mate.  If you want to read more about them, the RHS has a lot of info:

http://www.rhs.org.uk/science/plant-pests/lily-beetle

thank you Bpb will go into the RHS link - have been squashing them and killing the larvae but will obviously have to do it daily. will also get some spray to eradicate them.

Keep on squishing, and try the sunflower oil trick as it appears to have worked on mine.