Something has either laid 1/2" clusters of dark brown eggs, or used my lilies (which have just finished blooming) as a latrine. Ugh. Snails, maybe? You can see evidence of chewing holes.
My beginner's question is: what has done this, and what can I do about it? I'm holding off on treatment because I don't want to harm something that might be possible be beneficial, though it's hard to believe something so ugly could be beneficial!
Thanks in advance.
don't know what it is, but if I found it on my lillies, I would cut off and destroy the leaves that had the 'attachments', and check the rest of the plants for the creature responsible.
Then again, I'm scissor happy!
hope you can resolve this.
Happy gardening!
Thanks, drivenbonkers: I've finally identified the pests. They are the larval stage of Lily Leaf Beetles, and they are carrying their "poop" on their backs as protection, I guess! Ugh, even more! The organic response is to remove the affected leaves, and to knock off and dispose of the slug inside the poop (ugh even more.) Before identifying them, I had used a stream of water to knock off the larva, which probably wasn't enough to kill them--I'll have to patrol tomorrow morning with my little bucket of soapy water. Apparently there are a lot of lily leaf beetles around this year in the NE.
I have been donning a pair of gloves and squashing the little beggars!!
Everywhere seems to have lily beetles this year in particular, these beetles are bright red, the size of the nail on your little finger, they lay their eggs on the foliage and ofcourse the grubs feed and excreat the black muck you now see on your plants, if you dont control them now, you will have to burn all your lily bulbs as the grubs will hide down in the soil over winter and come back as adults to start the prosses all over again, try to find all the bugs and either squash them or burn them as they will go from garden to garden and back to you, the best cure is to spray with a bug killer that contains Malathion if you need to go down the chemical route, these bugs can also attack other plants like Fritillaries, Polygonatums too, so good luck, it will be worth taking the time to eradicate them as they really will devour all your lily's, flowers and foliage. Weenel.
Thank you, threegardeners and WeeNel, for your responses. Aargh, I don't want tham to infect all my lilies so I am going to mount an attack. I guess I should be glad that the infestation is so obvious.
I appreciate your advice--thank you.
an 'organic' method of disposal I've used for potato bugs: pick off the bugs into a plastic container, (put a potato leaf in with the bugs to keep them busy while you collect the rest of them)
pour very hot water (even boiling water) over the lot of them to kill them. I referred to it as 'potato bug tea'
bury in the compost pile, or cool and pour the bug tea back on the garden.... quick, simple, effective,
You could cut off the leaves with the bugs attached..... then hot water the whole works, a lilly/bug tea, if you will...
happy bughunting!
Thanks, drivenbonkers (love your username) for the suggestion about lilybug tea. . . I have heard that such a compost-tea is very effective and useful as a fertilizer. I still have to steel myself to face those yucky-looking slugs, and their poop, but I CAN DO IT in the name of being organic.
Just found a couple of these the other day on my Asiatics too. I had only seen 2 at them most and haven't seen them in the egg form you have in the pic. My dad put Sevin dust all over them yesterday and I haven't had a chance to see if it has worked. If not I guess I will be looking for something with Malathion in it like WeeNel suggested.
If you only found 2 red bugs, be sure they will have layed dozens of eggs, thats the sole purpose of these horrors, to devide and multiply, always try to knock, them off and stamp or them as you see them otherwise the problems will get very quickly worce, as in a few weeks from then, you will find all the black slime all over your lily's and by that stage, the little baby bugs are sheltered inside the black excrement that gives us all the heeby jeeby's to touch, but really a pair of gloves and a can of really hot water will help give you lots of satisfaction, especially knowing you are saving your wonderfull lily's and all the other lily's within your neighbourhood, these little blighters have no concept of colour, nice gardeners or just plane old weedy fields, they will travel to get to the plants and the baby ones will over winter in your soil and eat all the bulbs underground to keep going till the top growth is up and growing, then attack again, so it is always best to kill with whatever way you feel fit to do it, soon as you see the red adults on the prowel. good luck. WeeNel.
Whoa, WeeNel, you have described it SO well and thanks for the warning. These beetles are truly voracious. AND they seem to be copulating whenever I see 'em so I know they'll be more! I knock them off into a bucket of soapy water but I feel as if I'm falling behind, since I keep seeing more. Is there any organic spray that you know of?
Thanks!
CapeCodGardener you could try Wondercide, it food grade, safe for people and pets and kids and mammals. Kills 100s of "pest bugs". You can buy it for your house or for outdoor and garden. I've used this stuff indoors and it's works better then anything I've ever used before. Here is a link to the product I suggest for outdoor plants https://www.wondercide.com/home-garden-natural-organic-all-purpose-pest-control
Hello there an interesting creature indeed
When I farmed in Massachusetts we used wheat germ to control potato beetles
But for your case you could use neem based products or spinosid products ( microbial) you will have to spray every 5-7 days as they are laying eggs on a regular basis
