Tag Archives: lily beetle

How to get rid of red Lily Beetle

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This question was asked by
– M. Ball

Earlier in the year i purchased your candy cane collection and could not be more pleased so have just ordered another 18 lily bulbs and wondered if there is any insecticide to deter and kill lily beetle and where to buy it from. would greatly appreciate your help with thanks Mick

Ah that’s lovely to hear. Thank you for your continued custom.

Yes we have had some good results from diluted Neem Oil to keep the pesky Lily Beetle at bay! We recommend using a hand sprayer with 1 teaspoon of Neem Oil (5ml) plus a small amount of washing up liquid (as a surfactant) with approx. 500ml water. So 1 part Neem Oil to 100 parts water (1:100).
You can purchase Neem Oil online from Amazon I believe.
Loraine Hart

Lily Beetle

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This question was asked by
– Tina Brighton

Is there any deterrent for the lily beetle or is it just a case of keeping vigilant and squashing the little red devils when you see them? Thank you

Hi Tina
Being vigilant is key to keeping the lily beetles from ruining your lilies! However, we also suggest the following:

1) Spray with Imidcloprid and sunflower oil (or Bayer Provado Ultimate Bug Killer).
2) If you do not like using insecticides then spraying with diluted fairy liquid or crushed garlic in water have been suggested. Crush a whole corm of garlic in a small pan of boiling water. Allow to cool, strain and put in a small container in the fridge. When using, dilute three parts water to one part garlic solution. Spray often, every few days, especially when it has rained. There is a garlic product available in garden centres and stores, but this is a much cheaper alternative.
3) More recently, a customer has tried planting their lily bulbs alongside a garlic and this has been quite successful in keeping these creatures away.
4) Alternatively, we have been advising our customers to spray their lilies with NEEM oil to eradicate the lily beetle!
Hope one of these suggestions will help you to keep your lilies looking as lovely as they should.
Loraine Hart

Neem Oil

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This question was asked by
– carole jones

Have you any experience of using Neem oil diluted and sprayed on fortnightly as a preventive for lily beetle? I am led to believe it interferes with beetle feeding and reproduction. I have just ordered some for use initially with fritillaries and later with lilies but would be very interested in any observations you could make. Thanks

Yes we highly recommend Neem oil, it is a brilliant prevention for Lily Beetle. We have tried and tested it with fantastic results and, incidentally, we will be selling Neem Oil along with our lily and fritillairia bulbs at the shows this year!

Thanks for your question!
Loraine Hart

Scarlet Beetle and Fritillarias!

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This question was asked by
– Brian C

Not a question but an additional piece of advice re the Lily beetle. If you have any fritillarias in your garden, look for the lily beetle on them as soon as they begin to grow. Last year I didn’t and then found some were almost leafless as a result of that damned beetle.

Thank you for your email!
Yes – Unfortunately the Scarlet beetle likes Fritillarias as well. We advise this on our Care Instructions page for each Fritillaria variety. As you say Brian, keep a look for these pests and try to use the Garlic Spray to keep them at bay. Thanks again.

Loraine Hart

Are there any lilies that are more resistant to the beetle?

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This question was asked by
– michele

Are there any lilies that are more resistant to the beetle?
I would like to grow lilies this year , mainly in containers with a few in the borders.
Thankyou.

Hi Michele
Unfortunately i can’t say any lilies are less susceptible to Lily Beetle however there are a few solutions you can do to eliminate them as much as possible:

Inspect plants regularly, pick off any adults, grubs and eggs and destroy as you see fit. Otherwise spray with Imidcloprid and sunflower oil (or Bayer Provado Ultimate Bug Killer). If you do not like using insecticides then spraying with diluted fairy liquid or crushed garlic in water have been suggested by some of our customers. Crush a whole corm of garlic in a small pan of boiling water. Allow to cool, strain and put in a small container in the fridge. When using, dilute three parts water to one part garlic solution. Spray often, every few days, especially when it has rained. There is a garlic product available in garden centres and stores, but this is a much cheaper alternative.
We also recommend using a NEEM oil this is something we will have available to purchase on our website this year.
Loraine Hart

Query on pests

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This question was asked by
– Jan

Hi,
Can you tell me which lilies (or which type) don’t attract lily beetle?
Thanks

Hi there,
Unfortunately, they seem to like all types of Lilies, however, after testing we discovered that lily beetles are not attracted as much to the Trumpet lilies, like Regale.

Regale (harts1024)
African Queen group (harts1021)
‘Perfect Pinks’ Lily Collection (Pack of 8 Bulbs) (SKU177281)
Loraine Hart

Repotting Lilies and preventing Lily Beetle

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This question was asked by
– Nikki Lond-Caulk

I was wondering when the best time to repot my Lilies would be. They suffered rather badly from lily beetle this year. Should I wait until they have completely died back? The bulbs I bought from your stand at Gardeners World live have been wonderful.

Hi there,
Have you tried using Neem Oil on your lilies to prevent the Lily beetle from attacking them? If not, try mixing 5ml Neem Oil with 1litre of Water and a squirt of Washing Up Liquid. Spray once a week with a fresh mix.

Regarding repotting your lilies, I would leave them in until they have died back completely. It will probably be later Autumn by this time.
Best wishes
Loraine Hart