WATCH OUT, LILY BEETLE’S ABOUT!

Bright red lily beetles can munch through foliage and damage flowers, although tall tree lilies have earned a reputation for being less susceptible to a ack than their lower-growing counterparts. It’s believed fungicides used to treat tree lily bulbs by some commercial producers could be responsible for deterring lily beetle a ack in their initial growing seasons. As well as inspecting plants for adult beetles, look out for clusters of sausage-shaped, orange-red eggs on the undersides of lily leaves.

Organic gardeners should remove adults and eggs by hand or use an eco-friendly pest control such as Neudorff’s BugFree Bug & Larvae Killer or Grazers Lily Beetle Repellent. Chemical controls, including Westland’s Resolva Bug Killer, are also available.