RED BEASTIES in lillies

[mutantpoodle]

I am aware that the dreaded RED BEATIES in my lilies will eat the entire plant if left alone


they are clever and dip out of sight whenever I creep up on them
I gather they hide upside down in the soil until the coast is clear!!

so I shall persevere with daily inspections


BUT....where do they come from??? I have used new bulbs in 'new' soil/compost mix


so they are not 'last years' eggs/babies..or whatever they called


can they be stopped?

[supremetwo]

The adult beetles can fly.

For control, see:-
https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/help-our ... ily-beetle

[bungeejumper]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_lily_beetle

"The beetle overwinters in the soil and emerges early in spring. The adult is generally found in moist, cool environments.[9] It emerges in spring to feed and mate.[2] The female can lay up to 450 eggs each season in batches of about 12 on the undersides of leaves. It arranges the red-orange to brown eggs in narrow irregular lines along the midrib, where they are more concealed. The eggs then hatch into yellow, brown or orange larvae in about 1–2 weeks.[6]

The larvae feed for up to 24 days, beginning underneath the leaf then working up the rest of the plant, and cause the most damage. Their preferred feeding locale is underneath the leaf or at the node where the leaf meets the stem. They then burrow in the ground to pupate in a cocoon of soil bound with saliva. In about 20 days they emerge as adults and continue to feed until winter. More than one cycle can occur in one year.[10][6] "

Remind me, MP. Do I recall that you're not based in the UK? (Portugal?) As the Wikipedia entry says, continental Europe has a number of parasitic predators which you can buy as biological controls. Best of luck with it, anyway.

BJ

[mutantpoodle]

many thanks replies
I shall continue daily inspections

I found 3 last week but none since...…….sounds like there is not really a decent easy 'fix'
just patient attention


No I am based in UK but frequent Portugal for non peak season