Red Beetle Alert!

This spring, with warmer than usual temps., brings early evidence of destructive and nasty garden pests. Would you believe I detected Lily Leaf Beetles already feasting on our treasured hybrid lilies in March! These beetles over winter in the soil and rear their ugly heads in the spring. Hurry up, they work quickly. The female lays her eggs(and she is quite prolific) on the underside of the lily leaves and that is how an infestation of ravenous larvae can go undetected. You must eradicate them before they annihilate your precious lilies.

Lily Leaf Beetle

Lily

We spray with a botanical insecticide as soon as the lilies pop up from the ground in addition to snatching the beetles off of the greenery and crushing them whenever one is detected.

Lily

Here the yellow arrow indicates a hole in a lily leaf where the red beetle has been feeding. This is nothing compared to what will happen if left untreated.

Lily

2 Lily Leaf Beetles at work.

Lily

If you grow just a few hybrid lilies you may hand pick the beetles regularly but be sure to check under ALL the lily leaves DAILY and remove any eggs you find by cutting the leaf and destroying the eggs. For photos of Lily Leaf Beetle eggs and larvae you may find them on one of our previous blogs.