It started innocently enough with a few cute red beetles, brighter than ladybugs attracted to our lilies. Then we noticed a few holes munched through the leaves. That was weeks ago...but they're still here and still munching. A Google search identified them as Lily Leaf Beetle (Lilioceris lilii).
Lily Leaf Beetles have a familiar history. As with most of our pest problems, they were imported (from Europe and Asia) and have few local predators. These voracious beetles will only dine on the Lilium species including Turk's cap lilies, tiger lilies, Easter lilies, Asiatic, and Oriental lilies. Their larva can transform a proud lilies into a stark pole in less than a day. By eating all the foliage, they starve the bulb which inhibits next years' flowers.
But wait, there's more...In addition to the bright red adults, peek beneath your remaining lily leaves and remove every shiny red ova. While you're searching the undersides of the leaves, remove any small black sacks hanging from the leaf bottoms. Gloves are recommended for this part, as these are larva that have wrapped themselves in a cocoon of their own poop (a fecal shield). Ugh.
While snooping among your lilies, should you find any orange grubs with black heads, yup, you guessed it. Squash them.
If your lilies have been host to Red Lily Beetles, please don't share the plants. You will also be sharing the pests. Be vigilant and quickly remove adults, eggs and larva to rid yourself of these pests.
Take action now. Protect your lilies! You have a few choices to get rid of them. If you enjoy taking out your aggression on bugs, squish 'em hard. If you opt for a less violent and messy method, drop them into a bucket of soapy water with a shot of ammonia. Drowning seems like a less painful end.
A less hands-on approach is to use natural Neem oil (available at Woodbridge Greenhouses). It is a natural, effective, organic control.
Neem trees grow in the tropics. The trees’ nuts, leaves and bark have been used for pest control for generations. Neem Oil is a safe, broad-spectrum insecticide. It effectively controls Red Lily Beetles and other garden pests including spider mites, thrips, aphids, caterpillars and white-flies.
As with all products, please read the directions carefully. Neem oil is not effective on adult beetles; although, they are put off by the unpleasant odor and will move look for less pungent plants. To prevent their prolific population from resurfacing elsewhere in your garden, be sure to thoroughly spray the undersides of all the leaves. Neem Oil is most effective when applied directly to the larvae.
It is best to spray three successive weeks to address the coming generations.
Always spray in the early morning or late evening to minimize inadvertently spraying beneficial pollinators such as honey bees and ladybugs.
URI Fact Sheet: http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/lilyleafbeetle.html
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