do birds eat lily beetles

Scarlet lily beetles control and treatment

There are just a few methods of lily beetle control. Here are a few cultural and chemical methods of lily beetle prevention.

Any adult scarlet lily beetles should be manually removed and disposed of. Early in the morning is the best time to catch them because they are quite sleepy. Instead of picking the larvae off, use a tissue or piece of kitchen towel to wipe them off. Alternatively, remove the entire leaf where they are feeding and discard it.
If this isn’t possible or practical, you can still manage them by sprinkling a lily beetle insecticide on the plants that are impacted. The best ones to use are systemic insecticides. When it comes to grubs, lily beetle spray works better than adult beetles, which can fly in from nearby gardens. To help control any grubs that may have hatched from eggs laid before the first spraying, apply another treatment three weeks later.

Don’t apply to plants when they are in bloom in order to safeguard pollinating insects and bees. Do not use where bees are actively foraging. Do not apply when flowering weeds are present.

How to prevent scarlet lily beetles

Check your plants. Check lilies and fritillaries regularly starting in early spring for indications of scarlet lily beetles so you can get rid of them before a harmful population develops.
Encourage wildlife in the garden. Red lily beetle grubs and occasionally adult beetles are consumed by birds, frogs, wasps, and predatory ground beetles, which act as an organic means of controlling the beetle population.

The best products to help with your problem

How to identify scarlet lily beetles

The mature lily bug has bright red wings, a black head and legs, and measures 6 to 8 mm in length. These relatively slow-moving red bugs on lilies are easy to spot from early spring to autumn, but they have a clever defense mechanism that makes physical capture challenging. When disturbed, it descends to the ground and flips over, making it challenging to find its dark underside.

Clusters of orange-red lily beetle eggs are laid on the undersides of lily leaves.

The larvae of the scarlet lily beetle are even more cunning than the adult beetle and become active in midsummer. The round-bodied, 68 mm long grubs cover themselves in their “frass,” or wet, black excrement. This protects them from predator attacks.

FAQ

What are the predators of the red lily beetle?

There are no naturally occurring predators of the red lily beetle in the area. Adult beetles overwinter in the soil or leaf litter emerging in the spring to lay eggs. Eggs hatch after 1-2 weeks. Once hatched, the larvae feed for around 3 weeks before becoming adults.

Do coffee grounds deter lily beetles?

I have also been reading on various lily sites that coffee grounds seem to be effective at controlling the beetles as well. A mulch of the coffee grounds applied at the base of the plant does seem to help.

How do you stop lily beetles?

Remove any adult scarlet lily beetles by hand and dispose of them. They are quite dozy early in the morning, so this is the best time to catch them. Using a tissue or piece of kitchen towel, wipe off the larvae rather than picking them off, or remove a whole leaf where they are feeding and dispose of it.