[crackedflowerpots]

i found about 5 lily bugs at the weekend, think i got rid of them but do they lay eggs on plant and how much damage do they do? And whats the best way to keep them at bay?

[Trillium]

Once you've found that many lily beetles, you'll have a small war on your hands. They've moved in. They live in the first half inch of soil during winter then come out in spring. Look for egg clusters under the leaves and you'll really have to do it regularly or you'll soon find you've no lilies left. The adults, if threatened, will play dead by falling to the ground where their colouring makes them blend in. You'll first have to hold some sort of dish, whatever underneath before you try to squish them so you can actually catch them. The only possible control is by chemicals, but to date, no company has one specifically aimed at lily beetles, so constant  checking is your best method. Some people have had to stop growing lilies because the devastation got so bad.

[crackedflowerpots]

ok war has been declared!!!! :evil:

[Aunt Sally]

I spray them  :evil:

[Foxy]

Are lilly bugs those red beetles? my mum always said the only way to get rid of them was to burn them!

[crackedflowerpots]

i squashed them and put them on the bird table  

[Trillium]

If you can catch them, you can do what you want. They have red backs but dark bellies so when they drop to the ground, they land on their backs so they're very hard to spot.

[peapod]

do they leave slug like chomping holes?

My lillies (my very favourite flower) in my bed are holey, but the ones in containers are ok
I never though to check for lily bugs thinking it was too cold/soon for them

[peapod]

what do you spray them with auntie? (just in case I need it)

[Elaine G]

Hi

My emerging lilies have already got holes in them!
 Is this lily beetle already?
I checked  3 times today for signs of  beetles but have not spotted any.

Elaine

[Trillium]

Very likely. They can hide well when need be in the dirt.

[chrissie B]

ive two types of bug in my flowers one is red and black thin body, and the other is almost round black and has white specks on its back , both fly .
chrissie b

[honeybone_legends]

Inspect plants regularly, and pick off and destroy any adults, eggs or grubs when seen.

Infested plants can be sprayed with imidacloprid + sunflower oil (Bayer Provado Ultimate Bug Killer concentrate) or thiacloprid (Provado Ultimate Bug Killer Ready To Use). The larvae are more susceptible to insecticides than the adults

[chrissie B]

just tried my ant/cockroach spray on the green fly works great and smells nice too .
Chrissie b

[Oliveview]

I had lovley lilies one year and the next year they were coming along great, then my Mum was suddenly taken ill so I was away from home for a couple of weeks- by the time I came back my lilies were ruined.  They were covered in black gunk which the larvae was inside merrily chomping away on my plants :shock:  I picked off the swines- you get covered in the black muck too.  The lilies were never the same after that.  I kept a close eye for the red beetles but they won in the end, or rather I gave up growing lilies
Pamela