Found the first Lily Beetle this morning on a Snakes' Head Fritillary.
The start of the daily inspection of all the Lilies and other susceptible plants for this pest. Caught in the palm of the hand and then steady pressure applied with a finger soon despatches the problem.
When inspecting the plants do not shake them because the beetle has a survival instinct of falling onto the soil with its brown belly up and thus cannot be seen.
With a bit of luck the cold snap we've had in the past few days will have put paid to a few of the bug(er)s ;D.
It's a bit early for them up here in North Staffs, but we have had them in the past few years.
valmarg
It is such a shame that they are a pest as they are so handsome.
Because I have only suffered modest attacks which disfigure the leaves I have always left them alone.
http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments1_homepage.html
Do Lily Beetles have any natural predators in the UK? I spotted one last year and I crushed it, but it pained me to do so.
G x
My daughter and me found one her lillies today, it was very pretty, now squished ;)
I gave up growing Lillies because of the Bloody lily beetle :'(, they are one of the worst pests ever.
Someone once told me that the rose bug gun also got rid of lily beetle. I was a bit wary in case it killed off the greenery, so I sprayed the bulbs before planting and never got a single beetle on them all season. I've been doing that ever since.
:( Yuck!! horrid things..... was not sure what they looked like, so 'googled' imagine and urghhhhh!! so that's what they look like and yes I now recognise the little pest!! Unpleasant as it... it will be squished the next time I come across one!!!
(http://www.essexfieldclub.org.uk/cache/f502fba5.jpg)
Has anyone got a picture of the larvae. I understand they look like bird muck. Although we have had the beetles in this area, I have been unable to identify the larvae.
valmarg
This is a picture of the larvae : -
(http://www.odonalsnurseries.com/education/pests_diseases/images/lily_larvae.jpg)
And this link explains why they look like 'bird muck'.......
www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/advice/pests_and_diseases/nonflash_index.shtml?scarlet_lily_beetle
Thanks very much aromatic. Shall be looking out for the larvae, but hopefully not find any ;D.
valmarg
They're disgusting little things like bits of black poo.
Anyone see Gardeners World last night, the dreaded Lily Beetle were featured. Apparently the nasty stuff they are covered with is their own excrement...yuk :o
I started my daily vigil this morning and found three which were duly disposed of.
I have three patches of Snakeshead fritilliary which the red blighters decimated last year. This year I've been beetle watching to ensure the survival of the rest and so far have not seen any. I thought the GW info last night was excellent, I noticed they would all drop off and 'disappear' when I tried to catch and squash them! I think I'll have to repot my 'Everest' lillies though, they were eaten alive last year.
I spotted one today, duly crushed.
G x
We have two surviving frits and I have squashed at least twenty Lilly beetles from them so far!!
>:(
found first lilybeetle of the year last week, followed by about 6 more since!! >:( all have now departed this earth .... :'( ( ;D )
It'll be the sawfly next, the Solomon's Seal is opening... then onto the gooseberries!!
>:(
Hello
I found 10 lily beetles on my lliy's this morning i only had 5 last year they are disgusting thing duly killed yuk yuk.
The only thing is that i have just planted more lillies so that means i will be on guard checking these day by day.
Cheers
Brogusblue
We are having to do daily inspections, we have LOADS more than last year! I even found them on lily plants at a good local garden centre so be careful when buying them too.
Found 3 yesterday, so back to daily inspections!!!!
I think I'll go and do another spot check... :-[
I'm still waiting for an answer to my earlier question about whether these pests have any natural predators. From the lack of replies I suspect not. >:(
G x
The answer is probably 'dunno'. They're brightly coloured, suggesting that they may be nasty-tasting or poisonous, but sometimes it's a bluff. I've no idea how a bird responds to the sight of them.
Quote from: Georgie on May 07, 2008, 20:39:01
I'm still waiting for an answer to my earlier question about whether these pests have any natural predators. From the lack of replies I suspect not. >:(
G x
The RHS has done a study on the lilly beetle as it is one of the most asked about pests now. In reply to 'does it have a natural predator' they say ...
In parts of mainland Europe the lily beetle is kept in check by four species of parasitic wasp that attack the larval stage, only one of which (Tetrastichus setifer) was known to occur in the UK. Research at the RHS found a second species of parasitic wasp (Lemophagus errabundus) in Britain in 1999. The continuing prevalence of this beetle as a pest would indicate that the parasitoids present in the UK are not sufficient to prevent this beetle causing problems.So there you go, seems not. We only have a few lily plants in ourgarden so checking by hand and squashing is our option!
If the wasps are present they may increase alongside the beetle until they reach a balance. Or not as the case may be. I wonder whether they predate anything else.
Hello
I nipped to our local B&Q yesterday for a look round and there lillies where crawling with these bettles i did mention it to one of the staff who said it's a free gift with the plant ??? so i didn't buy any of there lillies.
None on my since the mass kill but i do check everyday.
Cheers
Brogusblue
Thanks for that, Glosterwomble. I use the same control method as you but as ever, I'd prefer to leave it to natural order if at all possible. I'm not I want to encourage wasps though... ::)
G x
They're not going to be the sort that stings.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on May 08, 2008, 13:07:28
They're not going to be the sort that stings.
Oh right, shows what I know! ::) Looks like a bit of research is needed then to see how to attract them. I'll report back if I find out anything useful.
G x
If it's a parasite on lily beetles, you can attract them very easily if they're around your area. Breed lily beetles! They're probably going to be the sort that lays an egg in the beetle larva, and it grows in there, then eats its way out. The monsters in the Alien series were partly based on these.