Lily beetles
Give them – and their larvae – the brush-off!
Since lily beetles first arrived in England in 1939, this destructive pest has spread across the UK, attacking lilies and fritillaries.
Both the scarlet adult beetles and their orange blackheaded larvae feed on leaves and flowers, defoliating plants or causing white or brown patches on damaged leaves, which often dry up. They keep laying their eggs right into September.
Because lilies and fritillaries are bulbous plants that depend on the leaves to feed next year’s bulbs, plants can fail to flower the following year.
Check plants regularly for the bright red beetles with black head, legs and antennae, and look under the leaves for signs of the larvae, which are usually sticky because they cover themselves with their own excrement for camouflage.
The best way to deal with the beetles is to pick them off by hand then crush them. However, if these wily creatures fall onto the soil, they’ll quickly bury themselves, so it’s worth surrounding plants with some polythene or paper before you start catching them. Brave gardeners could also try sucking them off with a pooter (£2.02 from www.rapidonline.com; 01206 751166)!
Wash larvae off with a washing-up liquid solution or use natural pyrethrum to control large infestations such as Bug Clear Fruit & Veg or Neudorff Bug & Larvae Killer.