Claire

The upside is, I won't have to deal with those horrible beetles.

Dee

Gardenweed, what is eating your daylilies? So far, knock on wood, nothing has ever bothered the daylilies in the 9 years I've lived here. Watch, just for saying that something will happen.

I just didn't get started early enough this year. They've made a mess of a couple of lilies I forgot I had and I am wondering what happens if you just cut the top off the lily plant? I would expect I wouldn't get a flower this year, but will it kill the plant all together?

Steve

Ontheteam, I would be happy to swap for some lilies if you have some leftover and we hook up at a swap.

I tried the ammonia drench last year. I can't really tell if it helped much or not, but I am doing it again this year, as well as trying to be more vigilant in searching and destroying the beetles. I'm just not quite ready to give up on the lilies yet. I'm hoping the parasitic wasp will make its way down here to CT before long.

Dee

And I am pretty sure ladybugs eat aphids and don't eat foliage. If I were you I would feel very fortunate that they like your garden enough to settle there and start reproducing. I am sure they already have a source for food spotted. Maybe there is a population of aphids somewhere nearby.

Here's some good news. I was at a lecture by Dick Casagrande, a professor of entomology at URI. URI has done most of the research on this beetle and have released some parasitic wasps in two places, Cumberland RI and Wellesley, MA.

They are trying to track the extent to which these wasps have been effective. They do this by collecting and dissecting the larvae from around NE, and they want you to send them yours. Yes, that's right they want you to collect some of the fecal covered critters, stick them in a yogurt cup and send them to URI. Below is the link with instructions at their website.

The lab will dissect these things to find out how far the parasitic wasps have dispersed from those two release sites. Hopefully, these natural predators will make it easier for everyone to grow lilies in the future.

Steve

From th FAQ:
"LIFE CYCLE: The adult beetle overwinters in the soil or plant debris and emerges in early spring looking for food and a mate. After mating, the female lays eggs in lines on the underside of Lilium or Fritillaria leaves. Some damage is done by the adults at this time, but the major damage comes when the eggs hatch into larvae in 7-10 days. The larvae voraciously consume all leaves within reach and may then start on flower buds. This continues for 2 to 3 weeks, when the larvae then drop into the soil and begin to pupate. In another 2 to 3 weeks the adult beetles emerge to start eating again. This process occurs from early spring to mid-summer. Reportedly the beetles won't mate and lay eggs until the next spring. "

But now I read that parasitic wasps were released in Wellesley, and I live the next to Wellesley. So maybe I am benefitting from the parasitic wasps and my GrubX has not done a thing?

Now - I may be slightly confused. Were parasitic wasps for winter moth also released in Wellesley? Since my winter moth population is also down.

A specific Tachinid fly that attacks Winter Moth caterpillars has been released in several sights including Wellesley. But it's hard to say why your population is down. Could be the unusual weather in your area.

UMass is leading the research for WM.
Cyzenis albicans is a Tachinid fly that parasitizes winter moth; in fact, winter moth is the only insect that it attacks. This important parasitoid was introduced into Nova Scotia through the 1950�s for winter moth and is now the controlling factor for this serious pest. It was also released in the western United States for winter moth there and showed great success. Cyzenis has now been brought to Massachusetts and a small initial release was performed in May of 2005 in Plymouth County. Following the 2005 release, Cyzenis albicans was released in increasing numbers each year in the following Massachusetts towns: Wenham, MA (2006); Falmouth, MA (2007),Wellesley, Seekonk and Barnstable in 2008 and again in Wellesley in 2009. Several years of releases will be necessary before any measurable effects are seen. The number of release sites is limited each year and at least 1000 flies are released at each site to maximize the chance of successful establishment.

Steve

Molie