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beegood_gw

Red Lily Beetle

beegood_gw
9 years ago

Please every one check your lilies for these beetles. I just outside of Edmonton and have found three already . They are a brilliant red and easy to spot if you check the leaves top and underneath. You dont want them taking over your lily patch . Can become very destructive if left to multiply

Comments (21)

  • nutsaboutflowers
    9 years ago

    Beegood, if you are able, could you please post pictures of the eggs and frass if you can?

    The ones I've found on the internet are closeups, which sometimes doesn't help a person identify what they look like to the naked eye.

    Thanks!

  • Konrad___far_north
    9 years ago

    Got this from Jim Hole today,...

    Unfortunately, the Scarlet Lily Beetle has decided that our region is a great place to live. The insect pest, that loves to chew-up lilies, arrived in Quebec back in 1943 and has been working its way westward. In the last couple of years it has shown up sporadically in Edmonton but it looks now like it has become firmly established.
    The bright-red beetles are already feeding on some emerging lilies right here in St. Albert and they can easily chew the plants right down to ground level.
    Scarlet Lily Beetles can be hand picked and there are a couple of sprays that are quite effective as well.
    Keep an eye out for these beetles, and DO NOT let them become established in your yard, if at all possible.

  • marciaz3 Tropical 3 Northwestern Ontario
    9 years ago

    My friend in Toronto uses neem oil and is quite vigilant at hand-picking and spraying. She also sprays around the base of the plant. She says she hasn't seen one yet this year.

  • northspruce
    9 years ago

    I'm going to be using neem in the soil starting this weekend, as the lilies are just emerging. Officially I've "given up on" lilies but I'll keep tending to the ones I already have as long as I can keep them looking half decent. Last year was the first time I ever saw the beetles, and they hit so hard that some plants were completely gone by the time I realized I had beetles.

  • northspruce
    9 years ago

    I was doing a bit of weeding today and found a cluster of RLB adults on one of the lily sprouts already. So I mixed up some neem and sprayed them all. Hopefully getting to them early this year will let the lilies have a chance to bloom.

  • Jon 6a SE MA
    9 years ago

    northspruce, you are doing the right thing by spraying the soil. Flood it because the eggs are in the soil and spraying the bugs on the plant will not stop them. Spray the plant alone and they will be back eating away the next day.

  • beegood_gw
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    The eggs are laid on the under side of the leaf Tiny oblong orange spots The larva will be in the ground. I hand pick eggs and beetles and just hope they can be kept under control or no more lilies. And I love lilies.

  • marciaz3 Tropical 3 Northwestern Ontario
    9 years ago

    How depressing. I love lilies too, but i don't think any of mine have come out of the ground yet. Will keep checking.

  • SouthCountryGuy Zone 4b-5 SE BC
    9 years ago

    Here is to hoping the rockies mountains stop these little pests....

  • allandale
    9 years ago

    This is a little late to be adding to this thread, but I have found that early vigilance does a lot to control the infestation. Last year was disastrous so this year I started in early May with 2x daily lily patrols hand picking & squishing the beetles. It was tedious but I killed literally hundreds this way including a lot of mating pairs. In the last couple of weeks I've found less than a handful and only a couple of those horrible poopy-looking egg sacs and I have quite a few plants . I don't doubt there are still some lurking so I'll stay vigilant but I'm not seeing nearly the problem I had last year. So far I haven't resorted to Neem oil but it's good to know that others have had success with it.

  • shazam_z3
    9 years ago

    Barely seen them this year. *crosses fingers*

  • northspruce
    9 years ago

    I've been spraying 1-2 times a week with the neem solution and the damage has been minimal. Many times I've seen adults mating on the plants, but after spraying I've only had very few larvae hatch. I would say less than 10 in my entire garden, and they didn't get far because I sprayed them too.

  • weeper_11
    9 years ago

    Are these the same red beetles that can often be found on roses? And they drop to the ground as soon as you disturb the plant?

    I had them last year, and did my best to drop them in soapy water. I saw a few this spring on my Emily Carr rose and I hand picked and squashed those ones. Fingers crossed that they don't become a real problem this year. I cleaned up and destroyed all the leaf litter from last year, so I'm hoping that might have helped.

    And I think I might have Japanese Beetles. :( It is either that, or Dogbane beetles; they are shiny and green/gold. There was a pile of them sitting on my mountain ash, so I'm guessing they are probably Japanese beetles since I think Dogbane stick to munching on dogbane or milkweed and I don't have either. Sigh. Have to go and try to drown those today, too. I hope it doesn't rain again.

  • northspruce
    9 years ago

    Weeper, that must be them. If you disturb them they tuck up their legs and fall. I was reading that they will use other plants besides the lily family as a host if they have to, but they don't reproduce nearly as effectively.

    In my yard I have only seen them on lilies (they have a lot of choice) and a carrion vine. I've been spraying the vine too, just in case.

  • beegood_gw
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    What you see on the roses are rose curculios.They bore mostly into unopened buds and ruin it . They don't go to the llilies.I now found some RLB eggs that hatched and the ugly orange things cover them selves in their own excrement and chomp away on the leaves Think I got most and will spray with neem oil tomorrow.

  • weeper_11
    9 years ago

    Ah yes, those are the ones, beegood. I was kind of wondering, because I have lots of lilies and there aren't any bugs on them!(well, besides stinking caterpillars)

    I've been drowning them in soapy water, anyway. My poor roses..they always seem to get the worst bugs in my garden. :(

  • beegood_gw
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Did anyone know Neem oil is off the market thanks to our idiot government Went to 3 greenhouses and none had it and they all told me thesame thing.So what now ? Any ideas

  • SouthCountryGuy Zone 4b-5 SE BC
    9 years ago

    You can order it online

    http://www.neemresource.com

    http://www.newdirectionsaromatics.ca/neem-carrier-oil-p-305.html

    I am going to place an order with the second link probably this weekend.

    SCG

  • beegood_gw
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks SCG Ordered some today

  • marciaz3 Tropical 3 Northwestern Ontario
    9 years ago

    Thanks for the links. So far so good here, but if they're in Manitoba, they're bound to make their way here. :(

  • northspruce
    9 years ago

    I got mine from New Directions last year, but since then they implemented a $100 minimum charge. Good thing I got a big tub of it.

    When you go to use it, you have to mix it up with warm water and a couple drops of dish soap in a spray bottle. I don't measure but I use about a teaspoon of neem in a regular sized dollar store spray bottle.

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