First Lily Leaf Beetles!

Yuck, found first few Red Lily Leaf Beetles. http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/fact_sheets/defoliators/lily_leaf_beetle.pdf Only found 4 but it is early. Also one had laid eggs and there were the disgusting crap covered babies already on one lily. Did not find any on the fritillarias or Solomon Seal. The hunt is on. Also found one slimer slug which is also in bug heaven. :)

This message was edited Apr 29, 2008 11:38 AM

KILL THEM PATTI !!!!!!
KILL THEM ALL!!!!!
My grandmother had a huge rock in the middle of her vedgtable garden.
She used to pick up those huge green tomato worms and crush then with another stone,on the rock.
Kinda like an sacrificial alter to bugs.

Did she have a special chant?

She was the quinticential "church lady"
Canned tomatos were so important to her,those were the days when we ate all winter from the garden, canned tomatoes for sauce, soup,with noodles, you name it tomatoes was where it was at, she got quite a kick out of squashing those green uglies.

Yuck - good luck, Pat.

Someone was getting their tulip or crocus bulbs eaten by something. It was dogs, rabbits, and went to deer. I just watched on TV, It could be a VOLE. It is like a mouse that looks like a Mole, but a vegatarian and loves BULBS and Bark of a tree. VOLE

Well its raining here again, we must close to three inches by now. Tomorrow morning I will begin the daily morning and late afternoon walk in search of the red devils. LOL JoAnn, I have two rocks I use for the smushing event, one on either end of the garden. My DH thinks I'm a little strange to get so gleeful when dismissing the little beggars. He is enlightened each am with the mornings body count. :)

Think of how many thousands of bug eggs you eliminate when you kill just one lily beetle.
Jo Ann

I've been killing them for the last week. Hard to catch! Most of the time they are distracted and killed in the act of procreation. I do not feel any remorse.....
:)
Deb

Uught I hate those buggers. Dealt with them for the first time last year. As soon as I killed one I would find another.

Do "tomato worms" become hummingbird moths?

Yes - tomato hornworms.

I drowned about a dozen lily beetles this past week. I'm almost tempted to put all my lilies in the same bed, so I don't have to travel all over the yard to check them.

I did that, then I made several beds like that and now I have to travel anyways!

Ya me too. I consolidated the lilies so at least there are a few less locations to check now. I have not found any more since it has been cold and rainy. I guess they don't like it very much either.

I'm sure they'll pop up to the surface as soon as the sun shines!