bugs in the beds!

Lilly beetles, i was just saying the other day i got rid of my lillies as there harmful to cats, my other cats where ok with them and Jack one of the cats i have now does'nt bother with any of my plants, but Tilly my little girl cat, well she is in to everything, she does not see danger full stop, so thought it best to get rid of my lillies, then i know she is safe with them, not sure she will be safe with anything eles inside or outside the house, good job i love her.

ah, i feared they might be. minty doesnt bother with the plants so thats ok. i think the beetles or the slugs have been eating the leaves tho!

You will have to kill them when you see them.

what a shame, they look pretty. dont mind killing slugs.

:o))

get rid of them Sticki, they will decimate your Lillie's, And by the looks of it, there will be more coming along soon lol..

I agree with Youngdaisy, you will have to go on patrol and kill them as soon as you can. Their babies look like a blob of 'poo' on the stem or underside of leaf. Get rid.

Youngdaisy is right - they're a menace. If there's one species that has to be killed, it's Lily Beetles!

Cardinal beetles look alike we have some of them - well idenified :):) - nice pic ;0

couldnt find them when i went back. will have to keep watching.

This made me laugh - I'll have to call you Sticky Attenborough! :)

You're not alone, Sticki, they are very hard to spot!

sticki attenborough mini honey!!!! made me laugh, better than bugs tho!!!!

sounds like i had better keep looking sheila ~ be like 'finding wally!'

Hi Sticki, we get invaded with these if I grow lilies, so I dont! Its the poohy looking larvae that do most of the damage, so look under the leaves and wipe off with a tissue. There is no legal treatment here you can use to kill lilybeetles, afraid you have to kill them. One of the reasons I got rid of lilies is that I wasnt very good at doing that.

They make a horrific mess of your lilies, you wont have a leaf left on them!

Fantastic picture tho!!! lol

Oh that's terrible Sticki! Jump on them!!

Quote Stickitoffee: "i dont need to know what they are doing!"

How I laughed!
Thanks for that :-D

Yak - Lily Beetles. I have been growing Lilies for 6 years or so and last year was the first year they had visited us. They completely decimated my beautiful Lilies, after taking hold within a matter of days. I never quite got around to picking them off and despatching them, and by the time I come to it it was too late. Get rid right now, or kiss goodbye to your Lily display.

i better spend the day lilybeetle killing tomorrow i think!
glad it made you smile chilekat

Dont forget the larvae under the leaves..MOST important!

lilybeetle killing and larvae wiping all day!!?? is there no special spray? im thinking of looking thru the kitchen cupboard for something suitable.

omg p__n on GOY, great photo capture very well taken :)))))

No Sticki, I looked into this in great depth cos I really like lilies and they were good with irises, not being a sprawling plant. The only pesticide that was reasonably effective was taken off the market when they did that big sweep of insecticides a while back. I read this article about 8 years ago. They lay their eggs on underside of lilies and like- genus plants, the larvae suck all the goodness outa the leaves leaving what's left all browny yellow. They drop off into the soil and hibernate, come back as these attractive beetles that look harmless like ladybirds, nosh on your leaves, lay eggs that really decimate your plant and the whole thing starts again!
And crown imperials are too expensive to be a banquet!
I've been told, tho I cant remember by whom, they drop off on to their backs purposely so they cant be seen them on the soil. I can well imagine that, because you CANT see em!!

sorry mark.

i found one and killed it! thanks for all the info tet ~ i shall look again.

There is an insecticide that kills them- or at least thats what it says on the label- its called Provado. Still think the best way is to pick them off when spotted and kill them. Watch out for the larvae as everyone has already told you they look like little grubs but they cover themselves in excrement to look like bird droppings. If these are left they will not only eat the entire plants but will lay more eggs which hibernate in the soil around the plant and then come up again in spring! The adults are difficult to catch often falling to the ground on their backs so you can't see them on the soil, the make a clicking noise when aggravated too! Good hunting!

have you ever seen anyone crawling round their flower bed listening for clicking noises? it will be me doing the clicking soon!!
i have found a few and their eggs but i havent spotted the larvae yet ~ luckily most of my lilies were in pots ~ not near the crown imperials where these little bugs were. no flowers on my crown imperials ~ thanks to the little red devils ~ no doubt!

Not sure you can get Provado here Red Aly..dont think its legal but I may be wrong..
I can just see you on your hands and knees with binoculars focused Sticki lol....

this will make you laugh:

i was out beetle hunting again this afternoon but i have now realised that the pigeons are in league with the beetles ~ as i was bending over catching beetles ~ you guessed it ~ the pigeon sat above and bombed me!!! grrrrr! i never did like pigeons.

I was done over by a seagull once..I was 14 and on my way to school...good job I followed the rules and was wearing my hat!!!! You have my utter sympathy.

so those hats did have a use then!! i hated wearing mine!

LOL @ the bird attacks! Made me giggle :P I think this is surely proof that the creepy crawlies are out to get us... purposeful hiding from the humans! I think I read once that you can put paper down under the plants when you go hunting, that way they show up if they drop off.
- cheeky photo though!

bird attacks are not good!!
it wasnt meant to be a cheeky photo ~ it was the only one i could get of the little blighters ~ they ruined my lilies ~ i didnt get one flower

Thats very sad :( :( :( I hope you have better luck with them next year... and get the b******s naice and early *squish*
I don't know much about the beetles, but if you move the bulbs would it at least get them away from the infested soil where the eggs or whatever are, or would they just follow the bulbs anywhere?

thats a good idea ~ thanks jennyfer ~ its worth a try!!