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gardeners by answering their questions. They also help me mark out my ‘gardening problems calendar’ by highlighting which pests, diseases and weeds are causing most grief throughout the year.Topping the misery charts this time were scarlet lily beetles. Lily

This has definitely been a year of grotty raspberries. The raspberry beetle, Byturus tormentosus, is to blame. Affected berries have telltale dry, grey-brown patches around the top edges.I’ve never known anything like it. I was at a horticultural

and more flower stems. Not all of the flowers are long, elegant show-bench blooms with super-straight stems, but I don't really care, they smell just as fabulous on the plant as in the house. Interestingly, they've not been troubled by pollen beetles

them is immense; they're such magical creatures.Known in Latin as Lampyris noctiluca (noctiluca meaning 'night light'), this charming glowing critter is not actually a worm, but a female beetle. She produces the yellowy-green light from the end of her

, seem to be around in remarkably similar numbers. In my garden it's business as usual: lily beetles have been feasting on my lilies, while scale insects appear to have increased in number.But where are the aphids? We’re now into mid-July and I

.To top it all there's very little raspberry beetle damage - those horrible little browny maggoty things that sneak out of the top end of the fruit. I can't seem to pick the fruit fast enough and the entire family is going around with bright red stains

in it's own slug-trap cup. We had a scoring system which scored plus points for slugs and snails caught, and negative points for each ground beetle or other beneficial insect caught. Guinness was the resounding winner. I'm pleased to say that it works

, and perhaps the exotic, invasive harlequins have met their match with our harsh winter weather. I wonder how the citrus longhorn beetle has fared this winter. Luckily we don’t have those in the window frames, or I would be worried!I'd love to know if your