I am down to only two lilies, and I have not seen any of the beetles either. However, my neighbor, 3 doors down on the opposite side of the strret, has had them.

Oh, they're here alright... I was out in the garden where my lillies are early in the season and started squishing them as soon as I saw them. I think that helped a lot. I also check every time I'm out there (maybe once a week), and rub off any eggs I see and any poop-covered larvae (ick...). I have some damage but am managing to keep them in check.

I did make an observation I'm curious about. I've seen box elder bugs on the lillies repeatedly this year, and I wondered if the box elder bugs eat the lily beetle adults, larvae and/or eggs, thus helping to keep them in check. Does anyone know?

P.S. I can't squish with bare hands...I have to have the mud gloves on for that...

Where are you BHLass? I'm in Massachusetts. I wonder if everyone was aware of the predator for RLLBs from the University of RI? Here's a link..

Biocontrol of Red Lilly Leaf Beetle

Porkchop, No I don't know about the box elder bugs, but what other reason would they be on the lilies? I don't squish them, I hold a cup with sudsy water under them so when they try to fall on the ground they land in the cup, and I do knock them off into it too.

O yeah...but I am vigilant

Not as bad as some years but I check several times a day. Snails and slugs are also down due to a dry spring.

^^ Those all look very healthy --- post pics when they bloom!

Prarie Moon2…I am in southeastern MA. Thanks for the URI link!

Interesting that I see this thread today, PM2. I finally got some time out in the garden today (geez it's almost June and I usually have more stuff done by mid-April than I do now!) and I was looking over my small remaining patch of lilies. I have seen some beetles, but I am cautiously happy that the damage is not that bad this year. I had the same thought a few weeks back and still have the same observation, so I hope it holds true.

I was looking for a date on that parasitic wasp release - it had to be almost ten years ago now, no? I was also surprised to see that the wasps were released in many more states than I had realized - thought it was only MA and ... NY?? Surprised to see CT on the list too, as originally I had read that we'd have to wait till the ones from MA made their way down. I figured that's what was taking so long, but if they were released in CT too, well then maybe it's just not working so well. Maybe things are finally starting to turn around (fingers crossed!)

I don't have time to go over my lilies as much as needed. If I'm out there and see them, I'll try to squish a few (with gloves!!) but they are very fast and roll over and off the leaf too quickly most of the time - of course landing on their backs so you can't see them!

It would be so nice to be able to buy some new lilies again! I would love is this wasp finally helps things!

:)

Dee

I cup my hand below the beetles before touching them so they drop into it. That trick of dropping and landing upside down when disturbed is very annoying! And they need very thorough crushing. They're tough.

Me too, Floral. I tranfer them to particular stomping paving flag at top speed (looks a bit grim by summer's end).

Dee, thanks for reading the article on the release of predators. I didn't know it was 10 years ago. I do believe that I saw a reduction in my garden after they did the release. I didn't know they released in CT either. I wonder if they would print an update to say how well they think the program worked and what they are planning to do next.

floral, yes, just catching them falling is the easiest. You have to be quick though, they seem to be aware when you are approaching the plant.

When I hunt the miserable things, I hold a little container with soapy water under them, so they drop in there. Same for Japanese beetles later on. They all get swimming lessons, and being not very apt pupils, they die. I could not keep up with drowning them, so I got rid of all my lilies. In revenge, they got rid of almost all my Frittilarias.

I'm so lucky these don't seem to be a problem down here.

What is a problem are rabbits! Interestingly they will not eat 'Lankon', or 'Kushi Maya', but I have to protect all other lilies. Maybe embryo rescue makes them unpalatable 🤣

I only have the bulbs that I apparently didn’t get. Their leaves are barely up and I have seen the beetle already. I am done with lilies. The beetles destroyed all of my beauties.

debra

"Maybe embryo rescue makes them unpalatable"

What?

It was a nerdy joke. These fancy new lily cultivars that came on the market starting about 15 years ago (and in one, case mysteriously disappeared from the market) were produced using an in vitro/tissue culture technique called embryo rescue, that allows two species to cross that would not normally be able to hybridize.

cf https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5384812/a-really-commendable-lily-kushi-maya

So PM2 I was really curious about the release date for the wasps, and it seems the info out there is a bit all over the place. Most sources say the beetles were found in Montreal in 1943, stayed there for decades, and then were discovered in MA in 1992. It seems that the parasitic wasp was first introduced in MA in 1999! Wow, I can't believe it was that long ago!

It looks like most sources put the CT release about 2012, and I did find a UConn extension webpage from 2015 looking for volunteer gardens around CT to try the release (wish I had seen that back then!)

There's an interesting map/infographic from UConn showing release and control. At first it was rather depressing lol, with the first two years having 7-9 release spots and only 2-3 control areas! But the last year shown, 2014, shows 5 release spots and 9 control spots! Interestingly, the 2014 control spots are not necessarily around the 2014 release spots, or even the other years' release spots lol. But hey, who cares, as long as it might be working.

https://uconnladybug.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/lily-leaf-beetle-larvae-par-wasp-release.jpg

Hard to believe there is nothing more up-to-date on these results. I guess it is a very slow process though, as this year is the first year I have seen any decline in damage. I've seen a few articles from 2019 or 2020, but there is no mention there of updated results. Actually, the UConn newsletter from May of 2019 discusses the beetles as if they are just a fact of life in the May garden, and a 2024 webpage from the UMass Amherst site just mentions that the wasps were released and mentions "establishment" but gives no details.

I do wish there was more info. Perhaps I will write to the editor of the UConn extension newsletter and ask her to give an update. In the meantime I am cautiously optimistic. Not rushing out to buy new lily bulbs just yet, but I will certainly keep an eye on this moving forward.

Gee has anyone ever thought of the impact on commercial lily growers? Both those that sell lilies for the cut flower industry and those who sell bulbs for gardeners? Their businesses must be so impacted by this....

:)

Dee

Thank you Dee for doing all that research on the parasitic release. You would think they would have followed it up and updated. OR done more releases. I really hope it does take effect where you are. I never thought about how it affects Lily growers but I would imagine they use chemicals. Since I am 100% organic, that's not an option for me.

I'm very curious how I have not one beetle this year. If they were here, I should have seen them by now. I was thinking maybe it was the rough winter, but if you are saying they first appeared in Canada, then cold winters shouldn't be an issue for them. All my lilies are in full foliage without a mark on them. It's all just another mystery of the natural world. :-) Seriously though, with the research you did, it really adds a solidity to the known information about them.

And now that you mention rabbits, David, I usually have my lily foliage eaten by rabbits and for some reason they left them alone this year. Instead they ate the bark on a few shrubs that I had to cut back to the ground. You can't win...lol.

at least 8 years ago the beetles would destroy a lily patch. this year i saw one, killed it andhavent seen a single one since. a few holes in leaves but no poop trails

my hostas have suffered this year and ive read of problems similar to mine

Every hosa has ragged ripped edges amd/or damage to inner leaves. it is so uniform i figure it has to be weather or environmentally related.. perhaps cold icy rain and high wind when leaves were unfurling.

i am anxiously waitinfg for Venus to bloom so i can seei if shes got spots,!

i think i am anticipatng trouble more than beauty!

There have been only a couple lily beetle sightings early this season, no damage to any of my plants this summer. They were not treated with any chemicals this year and everything left them alone.

Someone had asked to see my lilies in bloom, here are some of them, there are still a couple of later ones to open up their flowers. Hopefully we will make it to the end of the season without any beetles - or deer.

Purple Marble

Gold Band Lily

Miss Freya

Kent

Secret Kiss

Fusion

Red Life

Scorpio

Jeb, funny you posted this today - I was just in the garden earlier looking at my few remaining lilies, and I was quite pleased with the amount of lily leaf beetle damage. I actually have some blooms that are not affected! I thought, hmm, I have to post this!

My lilies are pretty neglected and overgrown - I honestly had pretty much given up on them and so haven't done much with them or to them the last few years. Now that it looks like there might be hope, I am looking forward to cleaning up this area and possibly adding more lilies!

:)

Dee

Beautiful lillies, Jeb and Dee!

My theory about the box elder bugs has been proven wrong -- my lillies got hit hard with red lily beetle damage. Admittedly, I wasn't out there every day patrolling, I have other things to do, but still... The lillies are blooming their heads off, regardless -- they seem to be shrugging it off. I think I might dig out some of the dirt from the base of the large clump I have, that might resort to insecticides next year. Or get out the neem oil and keep up with the spraying of that. (it's the keeping up with things that is the hard part)

"... it's the keeping up with things that is the hard part ..."

Hallelujah, ain't that the truth! You feel all accomplished when you get those beds cleaned up and prettied up in spring... and then you have to KEEP ON doing it lol.

I think I've mentioned this before, but my friends lilies are always pristine. Every time I see them I am so impressed. But her husband is retired and has time to go out every single day to check for and dispose of beetles. I just can't do that (as many people can't) so I just accept that I will have damage.

Honestly, like I said, I had accepted the idea that I would just completely lose my few remaining lilies in another two or three years. So I am very pleased to see the lessened levels of damage and look forward to next year!

:)

Dee

Dee, I pulled most all my lilies, the beetles are absolutely relentless here, they're attacking from the time the lilies emerge from the ground to the time plants are frosted off blackened in late October. I told a friend that it would take me half an hour daily to make the rounds of ridding the buggers, that I just can't do it with how massive the place is, my friend replied "Well, I would!" ... good on him, his garden is a fraction of the size and from what he tells me is in real disarray, as well is his house that I won't be receiving an invite to see the place, lol :)

Beautiful lilies, everyone! Marie could your problem with hostas be rabbits? That is what is happening to mine.

FB, mine were in a similar state to yours - I used to have many lilies because I sold bouquets, but they all declined and died out very quickly when the beetle hit my garden. The only ones I have left are about 8-10 of the above (Stargazer??). And they have been looking absolutely awful for the last ten years! The only reason I didn't pull them is that they are in a out-of-the-way bed and I just didn't have time - I figured they are dying so I'll just let them die lol. And every so often I would cut some of the ravaged blooms and try to enjoy what I got.

It wasn't till this year that I've seen any improvement, so I'm guessing the parasitic wasp is finally getting established here. Do you know if anything similar has been done up by you? I believe there were wasps introduced in Canada as well. Unfortunately it seems to take an awfully long time for them to get established - it's been at least ten years here and I think they were released only about 20-30 miles from me!

Hoping you too start to see some relief. And soon!

:)

Dee