Talkback: Lily beetle - Talkback

kaycurtis

24/11/2011 at 15:27

Goodness me , the dreaded Lily beetle along with all the other things that attack our lovely plants, well if you water the plants with vine weeval killer it does help to protect them also against Lily beetles, killing two pests for the price of one!!

alan

24/11/2011 at 15:27

every year i have to pick these little demons off my lillies their little grubs are a bit grim to remove but using something as easy to obtain as sunflower oil will make my life easier

Daisy005

24/11/2011 at 15:27

Thank you for the advise I will be trying the sunflower oil! I have read that the insecticide, imidacloprid, you have recommended is possibly linked to honeybee colony collapse - is this true?

I am off to stamp on a few lily beetles and spray!

Anorthcott

24/11/2011 at 15:28

Have had this problem for 2 years now and will try the sunflower oil. Does anything remain on the plant and go down into the bulb ready to infest next season?

lilymaewebster

24/11/2011 at 15:28

last year was my first infestation which i found on my himalayan lilies (cardiocrinums) and hemoracallis. luckily i caught it in time but i gave an oriental lily to my neighbour a couple of years ago which had been completely decimated. i had noticed that the lily wasnt flourishing as it had done in the past and then suddenly it completely died. do you think my lily beetle problem started with the plant that i gave to my neighbour? my lilies completely survived this attack.

backscratcher

24/11/2011 at 15:28

Last year my hostas were covered in snails, I put them in a pail with salty water which is how I deal with slugs. however the snails were climing out the pail so I put vinegar in the pail as well, As I watched the snail was coming out it's shell, I could'nt stand to see them in agony,so I picked them out and put them back on the Hostas and left them to it. what a woos I am.

homebird

24/11/2011 at 15:28

I was surprised to read that sunflower oil can work. I will try that this year.

fanny

24/11/2011 at 15:28

This year for the first time, I've found lily beetles on my garlic and shallot plants, also on the remainder of last years leeks... has anyone else encountered this problem? I didn't know they liked the alium family....

whitford

24/11/2011 at 15:28

One of my Hemoracallis ( Day Lily) plants, have flowers that do not open and go slimey, does anyone know what is causing this?

jynnx

24/11/2011 at 15:29

Completely decimated three lillies, utterly horrible little bugs! Will try sunflower oil when I replace them!

ILOVEBEES

24/11/2011 at 15:29

Before using thiacloprid, imidacloprid, acetamocloprid or any other neonicotinoid pesticide, I recommed visiting the Buglife website, to read their report summarising independent research on neonicotinoids. They kill bees & other non-target insects - eg. butterflies etc. Miniscule amounts impair the ability of insect to function resulting inevitably in death. Also, seek out the fact sheets from the US environment agency -you may get a shock! We used to manage without them & can now.

Therise

24/11/2011 at 15:29

Hi,

I usually spray my lilies from spring onwards with a mixture of vinegar and teatree oil which usually keeps them free from the lily beetle grubs. This year for some reason I did not get round to it and consequently have the full gunge plus quite a substantial amount of beetles. I should add that they seem to have a preference for the orange lilies rather than the white and yellow.

Have learned my lesson now.

Therise

Karen58

24/11/2011 at 15:29

I too am suffering from the red beetles on my orange lilies for the second year! I thought of companion planting! I bought two six plant flats of African Marigolds. I placed them next to my lilies with the promise to pop them in the ground today! Yesterday I killed ten beetles and today I found none! I also plan to spray them with diluted vinegar but, I've not seen any of the manure decorated grubs either!

waldonorwich

24/11/2011 at 15:29

Tried to knock the adults off and into a jamjar with only moderate success I'm now using an electric fly swatter (like a small tennis racket). Outside I can't see the sparks that you get when they're electrocuted indoors but it seems to at least stun them and of course prevents them falling to the safety of the ground. My Maplins swatter is smaller than some other brands which is a disadvantage when swatting flying insects but is just perfect for holding under leaves.

cath55

24/11/2011 at 15:29

Will try the sunflower oil on my lillies. I'm also planning on replanting in new compost just to make sure there are no beetles or grubs in the soil. Good luck to everyone trying to get rid of the dredded lily beetle.

argoscat

13/05/2012 at 19:18

Have just discovered lily beetle on my tree lilies for the first time. Didnt pick them off just used a thin stick with tree grease on the tip which they stuck to and then was able to destroy the adults easily. No sign of grubs yet but will spray plants with diluted vinegar cos i too love bees!

cornishpixi

18/05/2012 at 19:16

So far I have killed 12 of the little blighter! and all on one lilly plant quite what so special about that one I'm not sure!

jane_cardiff

19/05/2012 at 19:43

One year I found a clump of Montbretia covered with lily beetles. I had never seen them before; now I know to search them out on my lilies .

sheila robins

20/10/2012 at 19:06

I had these for the 1st time this year,, horrible things.

Bookertoo

18/04/2013 at 12:40

One of the most useful things for catching and killing lily beetles is an old tea strainer - preferably not the one you use for your earl grey! Keep it in your pocket and catch the beetles in it before they hit the ground and are never seen again. Carry them to hard standing and JUMP on them as hard as you can!! This needs doing daily, or even twice a day in season, and really does help, besides being very satisfactory when you kill them. I grow literally hundreds of lilies, both in pots and in the ground and only vigilance works. If you want to use chemicals, provado works for a season, but the larvae will come back the next year - I'm afraid we are stuck with them until the birds or something like that recognises them as prey- unlikely with that red coloration.