Lily Beetles - update!

Ha! Nice latin there :-)

Had them last year on my Stargazers; totally devestated them but they're looking great and pest free so far.

Knowing their clever tactics, I put each pot in the wheelbarrow, looked through the leaves and caught the little critters...SQUISH!!!

ive not had any since the first outing at begining of april but i check every day. according to my diary from last year they came back with a vengence in august. i was less vigilant as my lilies had flowered and were put out of the way. i shall try harder this year to break the cycle

Has anyone North of Rydeboyz in Manchester had Lily beetles?

Not had too many here in Berkshire - yet!

I've not seen any and would like to keep it that way thankyou!! ;o)

How do they locate the lilies? I think they must be able to smell them. I've got seven big pots with lilies in and found 4 beetles in one of them last week. Haven't seen any more but I bet they are hiding amongst the leaves. Oh and I live in West Sussex.

Had masses last year starting on the fritillarias before the lilies even came into growth - this year I'm checking twice a day - not one little blighter yet, I'm glad to say but I will keep up the vigilance.

none so far for me in east yorkshire. keeping fingers crossed.

Something has munched the top off one of my voodoo lily buds, I keep looking for lily beetles, but i can't se any yet. I am South on the Isle of Wight

They're here in Lincolnshire, but I, luckily, haven't got them yet and if I have, I've missed 'em.

I'm checking regularly though, 'cause the lilies are growing all the time now.

You need to look out for slugs as well. Last year I lost some lilies to them when they were just an inch or two tall. They like to munch that nice young tender bit off, and razed them.

I'm sure it was slugs that nipped the top off my voodoo lilly. I have raised them all off the floor and they seem to be ok now. My hubby went out the other night and found an army of slugs skulking around the plants and he cut them in half with secautares!!

YeeeuuuKK!!!

No sign here yet and I had a really good look yesterday.

nope none here

You are so lucky - I keep finding them, a few each day.

Hi Spritzhenry, I live in Bracknell and the lily beetle always shows up here. I search for them every day and kill if I find one, and have had half a dozen so far. I squeezed a grub between my thumb and forefinger once to kill it, but it spirted me in the eye! We grow so many lilies in this country that we provide a food source feast for this particular pest ubiquitously, hence its proliferation so widespread. I'm growing some big lilies that I've never grown before this year. I have some Regale in pots, and African Queen. An exciting pair. And also I have a Stargazer, always stunning, superb and reliable. How are your lilies doing so far? Got any good varieties? Kind regards, JONATHAN.

Hi Jonathan. What a nasty shock for you... YUK!

Maybe we should all give up growing lilies and fritillaries for a year or so to get rid of the beetles??

No - I couldn't!

This year I have several new ones - Nerone being one - almost black, I hope! Another is cream with purple inside - I can't recall its name...They are OK with regular checks to squish the red perils!

I hope I can post photos later in the year and I hope you do too...

I just found a bloody lily beetle on one of my plants, I thought I'd got away with it this year!! I picked it up and decapitated it!! I am in Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
I have a quite a few Cautleya lutea growing in pots at the moment. Would the little red pests be eating them as well, they are also known as hardy ginger.

still not wandered my way . .. thankfully

No idea, Andrea, let's just hope NOT!! Keep your eyes peeled! J. would help, wouldn't she?