Whats one of these then?

[FionaH]

Little red bug like a ladybird without spots. All over my fritilaria (sp?) leaves

[Jeanied]

Quick, squish it, Fi - it is a lily beetle. Watch out as they dive for the ground when you disturb it - and they lay sticky black eggs on the stems as well - squish them too (yukky job)!

[Pies]

Red Lily Beetle

[FionaH]

Squishion accomplished, thanks!

[BigShot]

Unless I'm mistaken, one of them landed on me the other day. I thought nothing of it so just flicked it off.
Oh well.


Just a note on Pies' link... they suggest treating with Imidacloprid pesticide - which is highly toxic to bees (and indeed, insects generally). It's a systemic insecticide which means it can be taken up by the plant, making the whole thing (leaves, stem, nectar - the works) toxic too.
In short - SERIOUSLY nasty stuff.
Personally I'd sooner lose my plants than use systemic insecticides, imidacloprid and other neonicotinoids especially.

It does mention the "suggested" link with bee colony collapse, but it's far more serious than the article makes it sound. Simply following the instructions and spraying at the right time of day won't mitigate the damage done by those insecticides.

I'm a bit keen on bees, so I'm sorry if this comes across as a bit hard-line... I know it probably does.

[Two_Sheds]

No need to spray at all, just knock off and crush the beetles, and wipe off any black sticky excrement you see: it will contain the larvae

[Pies]

The bit i liked in the link was to place something light under the plant as they jump off when the plant is knocked,and land upside down making them hard to see.So i think an old pillow cas would be ideal as they can be quickly colllected and killed including the ones you cant see

[BigShot]

That bit was clever. I'll be keeping that in mind.

TS... I'd be taking the "crush" approach too, I just mentioned the spray issue as it's truly terrible gear and I know not everyone takes an organic approach so thought I'd mention it in case it made someone think twice about using it.

[Pumpkin Becki]

Oooh yeah squish 'em! They make a very satisfying 'crack' sound when you do!...I'm beginning to wonder about me...slaying slugs, squishing Lily Beetle...eeek!

[Jardiniere]

I thought Lily Beetle was a singer.....................

[FionaH]

I squished, didn;t spray

[binley100]

My neighbour has just said to me.what is this red spider thing..........thanks to this thread I could tell him that's no spider thats an evil lily bug so squish it.....better tell him about the black stuff tomorrow(hadn't seen that bit )

[Two_Sheds]

I've just found and killed 5 adults, and scraped lots and lots of tiny red eggs off the lilies (easy to spot, they are scarlet like the adult)

[ginger ninger]

I don't grow lilies so it's a pest I don't have in my little garden, but vine weevil...now that's a different story all together. But I'm a big believer of the squishing method.

[Glutton4...]

I don't grow lilies so it's a pest I don't have in my little garden, but vine weevil...now that's a different story all together. But I'm a big believer of the squishing method.

We don't have Lilies either, but we still get the little blighters. I'd still keep an eye out, Ginge!