Lily Beetles gone?

Last post 10-08-2012 5:30 PM by john333. 3 replies.

• 09/08/2012 02:42 PM
  john333 Location: Hertfordshire Joined on: 05 Dec 2008 Posts: 17	Reply | Contact I've had some lilies in a pot planted in the border. Noticing recently the brightly coloured insects and lavae, i vowed to come back and tackle the problem. Distracted by something else I came back the following day to find they had vanished and leaves mainly untouched. Could it have been birds, a feeder is placed nearby?

• 09/08/2012 08:57 PM	In reply to
  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 9,474	Reply | Contact  I doubt very much that the lily beetles have gone far, they will probably be lurking in the soil somewhere.  Not sure about the birds though as with the beetles being red, doesn't the red colour indicate to other animal species that they could be poisonous if they were eaten? sue1002

• 10/08/2012 09:37 AM

  In reply to

  Pesty Location: At a desk Joined on: 24 Nov 2005 Posts: 324

  Reply | Contact Sue1002 is right they will be back. However at this time of year the adults you saw may be new generation (i.e. those which were larvae earlier this year) - these new generation adults probably disperse (find new patches of lilies and they can fly quite well), but do not mate or lay eggs - so you may not get the excrement covered larvae this year.  The adults cause some damage but it is the larval stage that will strip plants of foliage -  keep an eye out from the end of April next year. With any luck your lilies will be OK     'Trying is the first step to failure' H.J.Simpson

• 10/08/2012 05:30 PM	In reply to
  john333 Location: Hertfordshire Joined on: 05 Dec 2008 Posts: 17	Reply | Contact Thanks for your answers. The lily flowered and retained its leaves this year. Maybe the heavy rain was responsible for the grubs disappearance?