It sounds like Red Lily Beetle larvae. New England has a real problem with them.

Here is a link to a UMass page. Note they comment that the larvae look like 'slugs' when they are covered with their own excrement.

-Helen

Here is a link that might be useful: UMass Red Lily Beetle Fact Sheet

I was loaded with them last summer. Bright orange adults can consume a lot of lily foliage and weaken the plants.Had to spray bomb them.

Try Neem oil mixed to concentrations as described on the bottle. I hand pick them and squash them, ugh, but it has to be done!

I've been hand-picking mine faithfully for the past couple of years, and think I have a handle on them now. My question is whether there's anything non-toxic you can spray on the gross larvae. You know, like half-water and half-ammonia you can use to kill slugs without hurting the plants. Is there anything similar for these larvae?

Diatomaceous Earth will not allow slugs and some other crawling bugs to get to your plants. Its sharp and slices them up as they cross it. D E is the broken shells of sea creatures and is harmless to the enviroment. I posted a link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Diatomaceous Earth

EW! Just back from a long weekend to find a massive infestation of red beetles on my 2 measly little plants! One is almost completely defoliated in the 3 days I have been gone!
Thanks for all the advice I've been reading - and the link above.

Can anyone explain the Cycle Time of these bugs? I clearly have adults now and have been picking them off and drowning them (on Day 2) Does this mean I Definitely Have larvae etc in place for next year that I need to manage or how do they work???

Also - I noticed my neighbor next door has one plant that has not been attacked - do these things swarm or how did they find my back yard??? If they move to their house, I know they will not take care of them - does that mean I am doomed to having Eaten Lilies from now on???

What a disaster!!!

aunt jane, they are kind of confined to Mass. now, but are spreading westward from the coast. Soon most of New England will have them. Truly disgusting beasts.

You have to go out and pick them every day. I let them go the first year I saw them, and the next year, they were doing a lot of damage. I've been diligent for the past couple of years, and the damage is way down now. I have a zero tolerance policy for them.

I have been going out before and after work - I am becoming obsessed with catching all these SOB's - I swear I am up to a hundred in 2 days! I've been knocking them/dropping them into a tonic water bottle with rubbing alcohol at the bottom (that is what my mother used for Japanese beetles if I remember correctly so that is what I went with) The bottle is good b/c they can't fly away. Every time I go out there I find them!!!! GGGGGGGGrrrrrrrr. At least the poor hole-y lily started blooming today. AND if you want a laugh - I tried to sneak in my neighbors yard to check out the status of their lilies and they yelled at me GET OUT OF OUR YARD! I imediately felt 12 years old again - BUSTED! tee hee hee I don't think he knew I was his neighbor...

Has anyone tried soapy water sprayed on the plants? I found these nasty guys on my lilies yesterday. I mixed up some Dawn dish soap and water in a sprayer. I sprayed down the lilies and other flowers in the areas. This morning they seemed almost all gone. I had no idea what they were and just tried the soapy water for the heck of it. Do you think they'll stay away? Have I damaged my plants with the soap? I thought I heard some where that soapy water is OK for plants.

I'm in Arkansas and have been infested with them for 2 years now. I know also they have them in Michigan from someone on GW who lives there. I tried picking them off and dropping them into soapy water but they are so fast flying I didn't get many. Nearly every one I found was mating with another one. They have nearly consumed my canna leaves for two years. They especially like the red stripe ones.
Nancy

Hi Everyone

I am in Mississauga Ontario Canada and I have them too it appaears!!

Just noticed them a few days ago when I was weeding my garden and noticed my lilies were not doing so good.

Upon a closer look noticed something all over the lilies and they have chewed up most of them. Pretty disgusting and destructive little things!

I have never seen or heard of this problem before so not sure its new to the area or not but just thought I would let you guys know.

I am going to try the lemon dish soap and oil recipe someone recommended. :)

i'm new to this web site -- howdy

and am sorta new to the lilly crowd , this is my 3rd year of having lillies ( i'm hooked ) and 2nd year of having the red bug and slug problem ( i live in mass )

today i set out 4 pans of beer and i swear in less than 1/2 hour there were at least 15 slugs in each pan , freakin' things are chewing up anything with leaves ( or so it seems ) some plants they seem to enjoy more than others - my lillies and even my hostas are being attacked

i also did the neem oil thing but seeing as we've been having rain just about every day i'm sure that will wash away and i'll have to reapply

im wondering , will doing the beer thing really work ? i mean will it get rid of them or will the lady at the liquor store stop believeing my story about " its to kill slugs " and start thinking im an alcoholic whos just blaming the bugs- i cant stand to touch them , they creep me out something fierce

also ? will the neem oil really work ? i cant be out there squishing the lil' red menace every day although i have gotten quite the enjoyment out of it :)

am i doomed to surrender my lillies and other plants to the bugs ? i have an indoor/outdoor cat so i dont want to use anything to serious if i dont have to

ok , so the beer works - and boy-howdy does it work. after scooping out ( with a spoon ) all the dead slugs i left the pans with the left-over beer just to see what would happen ---

came back about 4 hours later to find double the amount of dead slugs floating in the pans ( i think one must have escaped and went to tell all the slugs in the area that theres free beer over in my yard )

i think all i'm doing is luring them to a free drink and their death. slugs are not like bees - a certain number living together that i can get rid of them all and be done with it , this would be an on going battle ( i'm not licensed to set up a bar in my yard ) nothing is going to get rid of them once and for all

so , i guess for this year the slugs have won :( what ever comes up comes up and i'll be happy for it -- maybe next spring i can spray or powder or whatever to get a head start and maybe win the battle , same goes for the lil' red ba$%ards ( lilly beetles ) maybe next year i can get a head start

be well & enjoy the rest fo the day
- mic

I guess with all the slug squishing I did last year helped. That plus I remembered NOT to plant my dalhias and other delicious annuals near any ground covers, bricks, stone edging or pavers (I checked there in my quest last year and found loads).. beer seems to be the best catcher!

I, too, noticed these red bugs earlier this year on one of my lilies. I thought nothing of them as they look like lady bugs missing their spots. How cute, right??
But, they leave big piles of poop which look like raisins and completly devour the leaves!
They have totally devestated this plant, but have yet to hit any of my other lilies which are very close .
I have cut back the infested plant to the ground. I now understand that the whole bulb should come out and be inspected for any larvea. If they are found, it should be discarded. What a waste!

I sprinkle Sluggo around my garden and it takes care of slugs. Its safe to use around pets and wildlife. I think its cornstarch or something like that. They love it but it expands in their stomachs, killing them. Works very fast.

I came here trying to find out what the red beetles were. I have many lilies growing in my gardens and noticed this bug last week. I have not noticed damage to my plants, but my daughter, who lives in Connecticut told me her lilies were totally defoliated by these bugs. I decided to check my plants and noticed them. These are not slugs.

I can't use pesticides as I grow to attract wildlife. Wonder if the birds eat these bugs. My lilies were beautiful this year despite constant rain all summer.

I'm wondering if spraying alcohol/soap might work. I'll give it a go tomorrow.

Jane

I ignored the pretty red beetle last year and learned a
lesson. This year I hit them with 7/5 dust and picked off
any straglers, checking daily. Now I have that disgusting
poopy stuff that is eating the leaves. Anything I can
spray with, cant stand to touch the grossness.

I put on thin plastic gloves to pick up the larval stage poopy stuff. In the past I let that go because of the grossness, but I don't think you can get a handle on the problem without dealing with the larvae as well as the adults. I also bought some Neem spray, but I think it will take time for that to work. My lilies look better every year as I keep on top of the problem, but it isn't easy.

Lily beetles arrived in the UK a few years ago. The adults have a trick where they drop off the plants at the slightest disturbance and land upside down so the red is hidden and they are hard to see. I have a trick too. Before going after the beetle cup your hand below it so when it drops you can catch it. If you keep on top of them early in the season you can control them.

I have also found in my garden they eat regales but leave L henryi alone. There has been some recent research which has found that they do have taste preferences.

Here is a link that might be useful: RHS lily beetle info.

Over the past weekend while I was working in the yard I noticed these little red beetles everywhere. I went online and found all of your postings and sure enough they were consuming my plants. I got home from work today and was on a mission to kill them all but I couldn't find any bug spray in the garage and I remembered seeing Neem Oil as something to kill them so I got what was all that I could find and used Murphy's Oil Soap in a spray bottle and it killed them almost instantly-took out hundreds-they were under old leaves that didn't get picked up last fall and used as mulch in my flower beds. I am going to get more Murphy's and keep going after these nasty things.

I have used Sluggo, and Slug Away for years, and never have a problem with slugs. It has an attractant and they eat it and it turns them anemic, and they emmdiatley stop eating and go die. It is safe around pets and birds, which I like.
I weart Surgical gloves and walk my garden. If I see any
Beetles, or Caterpillars I just flick off and squash. I like to get live Lady bugs and release. Thier larvae eat
all kinds of things like Aphids, and White Flies

I live in the UK and am gutted to find this horrible beatle attacking my poor Lillies, this plant has been with me happy as Larry blooming every year for the past 6 years and now this!!! I’ve sprayed the blighters down with soapy water and vinegar and hoping this will help!!! Black gunge and eaten leaves!!! Do one bugs!!!