what about this

Here is a link that might be useful: Larva not grub?

This is most likely lily blight. Very probable in rainy, wet seasons with lots of hail or heavy rain.

Ginny

Larval stage of red lily beetle.

Thanks everyone,
That's a very clear picture, ClBlakey.
So, larval stage of the red lily beetle.

Anyone else dealing with this scourge? They don't seem to be in our area yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time.

Not here yet. A friend of mine in Toronto is plagued with them, but she declared war against them and seems to be getting the better of it. She hand-picks and destroys them. She calls them ERBs - Evil Red - - - Beetles, yeah, that's the B word she uses.... LOL Apparenlty neem oil can be used - not sure as a remedy or a preventative but now it's not for sale in Canada.

They look a bit like escargot maybe hand pick and cook in garlic butter. Unfortunately they do not appear on the edible bug list. Shame!

Here is a link that might be useful: Maybe the list is incomplete

That is definitely the red lily beetle. The adults and larvae have voracious appetites and can easily eat all the leaves.

That is the larval stage of the insect you are seeing there. They cover themselves in their own poop as a defense mechanism. She'll need to scrape them off and squish them. The beetle's season is the whole growing season so she will need to be on the lookout for them. The thing is the beetles are sorta smart so when you touch them, they fall to the ground upside down as a defense mechanism.

My lilies were inundated with them last year. This year when I first saw them I used a foaming wasp spray on the plants. That seemed to have worked wonders as I have not seen them again this year.

Good to know, Shazam. Will have to remember that if they ever make it to this part of the country.

They come into new areas on nursery plants and as eggs on bulbs. I have heard talk of them being pretty bad in parts of Manitoba already, but what nobody seems to be able to answer is whether they're overwintering successfully year to year. I suspect most winters could wipe them out here, only to show up again on new infested plants. This seems likely considering the incredible decimation in warmer areas versus scattered reports over the past decade around here. It doesn't seem like they've really taken hold.

Thanks north, I was curious as to how a bug that was for the most part plant species dependant would travel. I am off to see if I can find what is chewing holes in my dog wood and one hydrangea.

SCG

I haven't heard of anyone in my area having them and I hope it stays away. Sometimes being in the cold harsh north is a good thing. But then I haven't bought any new lilies lately, so there's no chance of importing them either.

Yes North being up here has benefits for sure. Looking at it that way I am very fortunate. The winters can get cold and the summers are so hot and dry that things like mosquito's, fleas, ticks or the like are rare. I am hoping this holds true for thrips and the like....

side note I couldn't find any bugs on the shrubs that are chewed........I hope I have enough patience to leave dr doom and malathion in the cupboard.

SCG

Ok guys, as of this afternoon I'm infested with lily beetles too. I haven't purchased lilies for at least 5 years so they must have flown in from somewhere.

I guess I'll get hand-picking. #%$&* I just signed up for our garden club's garden tour, which is in July when there will be NOTHING blooming but lilies.

Totally. freaking. upset.

So sorry North. Everyone has an opinion but mine would have Dr. Doom out. Good luck with whatever method you choose.

SCG

I move quickly and overreact frequently, and I have already ordered $60 worth of pharmaceutical grade Neem oil.

Beetles picked the wrong garden. LOL

Lol, I do the same. My planting style is the same too. I buy then try to figure out where it can go. Usually with a lot of wrong decisions.

I do wish you luck. I, and my gardens, are so newi would be devastated. Not to mention having a glorious garden like yours that people would tour. Uggg

SCG

Oh no!
Have you tried the baby powder treatment? I found a discussion about it on another website. And where did you find Neem oil? I looked for it uptown today, but didn't see any.

Here's an excerpt about the baby powder from PlantLilies.com.

"Hi-
In the May 2011 issue of Garden Central, I read Mary Louise Miller's request for help fighting lily beetles. My good friend Bill taught me how to deal with them: TALCUM POWDER. Yup, ordinary talcum powder. Baby powder with talc, not with cornstarch, works very well. I buy the largest size and poof it beside the lilies and on the ground around them. I begin in the spring with the first sign of growth, then apply it regularly afterwards. It works on all stages of the beetle. It is cheap, safe for humans and plants, is biodegradable and works. I think it suffocates the critters because it is such a very fine powder. It also works on ant hills. Just cover the top of the hill and block the entrance to the nest. Hope this idea helps restore lily plants and sanity to those trying to enjoy these glorious plants."

Marie (I think... memory sketchy), email me about the neem oil. groundskeeperjilly (at) gmail (dot) com. Anyone else who wants to know too.

As someone who has had a baby in the last decade, I can tell you that you might have more trouble finding real talcum powder than neem oil. It's highly unsafe to be inhaled regularly, and all the companies I'm aware of have switched to corn starch!

I dread finding any sign of these beetles - nothing so far in my yard and i did a pretty good check today. Sorry that you have to deal with that, Gil. I wondered what Lilynook had to say about it all - here's their suggestions

Here is a link that might be useful: Lilynook

They destroyed most of my lilies last summer. I have a few left and am hand-picking the beatles and grubs each day. I intend to plant more lilies this fall and will patrol them like a soldier next summer!

Has anyone tried food grade diatomaceous earth for these or other problem bugs? f

SCG

Hi,
I tried diatomaceous earth earlier in the spring. I spread it all around each clump of lilies as they were coming up. I don't know how it worked really. We have found many lily beetles-the first in April as I was raking off the leaves. We have been vigilant looking for them. Now we are finding the larvae. I am sure we knocked them back somewhat with our picking but my clumps of lilies are so large and thick( and in the middles of daylily display beds) that it is impossible to see all of the eggs that might have been laid.
But if you look for larvae each day you will find many of them before they chew up the whole plant. Just look for leaves that have been chewed back to the stalk. With the beetles I look for plants that have holes in the leaves. If there are damaged plants you can bet there is a beetle there.
What bothers me the most with red lily beetles is they never seem to stop over the summer. We are finding some more adults now. Their life cycle doesn't seem to end as summer continues. I don't know if these new adults have flown in from somewhere else. I can't see that they would be hatching from the earth at this point.
It is very frustrating to have to start again with the adults while you are still finding larvae! And not so easy as when your lilies(and everything else) was just emerging from the ground.
I know people who have had success with a mouth wash solution but with how large my over 70 clumps are and with how much rain we have gotten this year I just don't have the time for spraying. If I had fewer lilies I would definitely try it.
Debbie

Debbie,

I am sorry to hear about your infestation. Fortunately I only have a few plants and they haven't been reported this far west, YET. *edit*---- dang they are not very far from me now, possibly here.

From research inspired by this thread I am am looking into neem oil to have on hand.

Good luck

SCG

This post was edited by SouthCountryGuy on Mon, Jul 1, 13 at 22:37