Topic: something eating lillies

[dibberxxx]

i wonder if any one could help me have lots of Lillie's in the garden they are just starting to sprout and something is eating them straight across the top back to ground level have had Lillie's for about 5 years in the garden never had aproblem like this before only get problems from the red Lillie beetle a bit sooner on in the season or could this be the red Lillie beetle allready

[Palustris]

Could well be slugs or snails. The mild weather has brought them out a lot earlier than usual and there is not as much food so they are having a go at things which normally would be either better grown or less tasty and so not as attacked.

[dibberxxx]

thanks palustris i thought it might be the slugs but have not seen any sigh of slugs and have put loads of crushed eggs shells down as i try do garden organically never try-ed crushed egg shells before perhaps it is not working

[Palustris]

I have and they work just as well as grit or anything else. Nothing much stops a determined slug. Try the coffee grounds mentioned somewhere on here. It at least would eliminate one possibility.

[Deleted]

My several million slugs and snails leave my lilies alone - but those darned lily beetle massacre them. Haven't noticed any here yet, but perhaps they're starting early where you are. I used to be a pacifict and love [nearly] all wildlife, but now sit quite merrily crushing them in a tissue - if they don't bury into the ground first.

[dibberxxx]

i am in Bristol dawn, have not seen no red Lillie beetles but they could have started early , i usually pick them of and throw then in the pond for the fish the fish love them just cant think of anything else apart from slugs that would be eating them

[Val]

Yes its catching them Dawn, I've lost count of the number that have just dropped down. I can never find them either. You'd think with that colouring they'd be easy to spot.

[Doris_Pinks]

If you put one hand under the red devils, (not touching) and try to grab them with the other hand, when they hurl themselves off the lily with their run away tactics, your other hand is there to catch them! Thats how I do it anyhow and it sems to work for me! ;D  ;D  ;D

[Val]

Thanks Doris I'll give it a go.

[Deleted]

Never thought of giving them to the fish. Will have to try that one.

[dibberxxx]

that's a good ideal Dorris as they do seem to disappear like magic

[kitty]

it'll be slugs or snailys i reckon......

I have and they work just as well as grit or anything else. Nothing much stops a determined slug.

palustris

kalashnikov.

actually-i find great solace in wandering the ol' estate in the twilight with a small cup of salt.

and it aint fer me chips!
muhwahahaha!

[dibberxxx]

well the red Lillie beetle was out the weekend found 2 in the garden and 1 in my green house so perhaps it was the darn things eating them will have to be very vigilant

[Rox]

can these lily beetles also be found in the house?? I've been crushing these red/brown beetle things in the house for the last several weeks and was wondering what on earth they were...  :o I thought they  had entered the house via some wood we'd bought for the fireplace (my theory was that it was infested) given I spotted them actually coming out of the fireplace - the buggers are awfully slow, so easy enough to catch, but what a pain   I have been diligently squashing them, but am now very angry for letting the one I found outside go...  >:(

[Val]

Rox, no those aren't lily beetles, They are a very bright red not brown/red. and they move fast. I don't know what you've found in the fire place but if you google pests you might see a pic of one to identify it, or someone here might know a site.good luck with it. let us know when you find out what they are.

[Mrs Ava]

You might have vine weevil beetles on the march.  I squished 2 in my conservatory at the weekend, and my lovely grandad, whilst eating a hotcross bun over the weekend, thought he had dropped a currant, and ate a vine weevil beetle!  He admited they aren't as tasty as currents.  hehehe.

[Marianne]

A red/brown beatle was drowning in the bird bath and I rescued it, without knowing what it was !  I didn't know they were bad for the garden.
 >:(

[Rox]

Rox, no those aren't lily beetles, They are a very bright red not brown/red. and they move fast. I don't know what you've found in the fire place but if you google pests you might see a pic of one to identify it, or someone here might know a site.good luck with it. let us know when you find out what they are.

Finally! I have found the culprit in the house - it is the Golden Net-wing Beetle - it seems to be a wood beetle, so I guess my theory of infested firewood was correct in the end... just happy it wasn't the dreaded lily beetle!  :)

for anyone who wants to have a look at this wood-chomping fiend, here he is:

http://bugguide.net/node/view/2815/bgpage

[Val]

I can see why you thought it was a lily beetle it looks like one in the pic.  I've never heard of these, but there are millions of beetles...its just the bad ones we get to know... ;D Glad you've found it though Rox....sighs of relief all round. ;)