Is there anything I can do to prevent lily beetle attacking my lilies again this year?
Mary: Extreme vigilance is one answer to this now common pest. The bright-red beetles are very visible on the foliage of lilies in May, and it is well worth picking them off and squashing them. Check on the underside of the leaves to look for the orange-coloured egg clusters and squash these too. You may be unlucky and find them on fritillaries as well. If you are too squeamish for the squashing routine, then spraying the lily foliage with Ultimate Bug Killer, which contains imidacloprid, in early May. This was a great help with mine last year.
The lily beetles overwinter in plant debris. As well as the adult beetle feeding on your foliage, the grubs, which hatch from the eggs, also feed voraciously on your lily leaves. They have the disgusting habit of feeding while protected by a pile of their own black excrement. Isn't nature marvellous?
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