A Lily beetle passage....If you're squeamish do not swipe ➡️ 🙊 .... This year I had a really really bad infestation of scarlet lily beetles (lilioceris lilii) which are a leaf eating beetle and they will devour the leaves, stem, buds, and flower of the lilies and other close relations. This year has been full of squishing and wiping their eggs from the leaves at least 3 times a week. The awful thing with the lily beetle is the fact that they hide and hibernate in the top inch or two of soil, sometimes but not always close to lilies. One second you think you have managed to eradicate the eggs then the next... the beetles are back munching and killing everything in their path. This year my lilies haven't been able to flower to their full glory as a result of these beetles. My mum and I popped down to one of our new favourite garden centres, woodcote garden centre, and picked up two sprays. One was chemical based and the other was organic based. This one in the picture Pyrol bug and larvae killer, the organic based spray. I have to say this was a saving grace and helped a lot to reduce the beetles where the usual methods wouldn't work. I had to do three sessions/ coverings with this spray, with the standard squishing, but thankfully since the end of May I have not seen them 🎉 ................................................................ #alicesgarden #lilies #lilybeetle #squish #squash #gardenersofinstagram #gardening #beetles #pest #gardenpest #munch (at London, United Kingdom)
