Re: red lily leaf beetle
- Subject: Re: red lily leaf beetle
- From: C* I*
- Date: Sat, 11 May 2002 07:11:29 -0400
>In a message dated 5/10/02 6:25:20 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
>cherylisaak@adelphia.net writes:
>
><< Are you looking for flower look-a-likes or the spikes? The scent can
> not be replaced. Sigh!
> The beetles have appeared already this year and I am tempted to just
> pull my remaining ones out and put them in a plastic bag....
> Cheryl >>
>
>
>Are you saying that you have the beetles already damaging lilies in May? Do
>they last all summer? That is, as the JB's do they pupate and appear daily.
>It is total lily damage, is it not?
yes and yes! the beetles start about mid-May (over wintered?) and
start laying eggs. Between beetles and larvae, the plants are
stripped of leaves. Interestingly, my red flowered lilies buds are
left alone, but the lighter ones are eaten.
>
>I have pulled out my my coop/ext sheet on these beetles and the season is not
>mentioned. Recommended is removing all lilies (Lilium) from your garden. I
>rather thought since I was isolated in the mountains, I might not see them
>for a while.
>
>I know it is is a matter of time until we see them in the Berkshire area, how
>depressing.
>
>I found a beetle last summer that looked like a Christmas tree ornament, it
>never occurred to me that it might have been the dreaded red lily beetle.
That's the beast!
>
>Along with the adelgid (hemlock destruction) which is reported to be 100
>miles south of us traveling up the Hudson River, a gardener has a feeling of
>invasion. The dominate conifer in my area is hemlock. The cure (not
>perfect) is an oil spray. One cannot spray 15 acres of hemlock and oak
>forest. At least, not an individual.
Don't remind me. I love the look of hemlocks
>
>This brings up a question much discussed on other lists. The importation of
>alien species. Asian hemlocks apparently do not succumb to adelgids so
>replanting with alien species would be a possibility. Laws on alien
>importation are very complicated. The other conifer genus in our forests
>(below Adirondack heights) is the white pine. There is not one white pine
>grown in the wild that has a straight trunk. It was once the British Navy
>tree of choice for ship masts. It is now a crooked or multiple stemmed tree
>due to budworms that destroy the top growth while young. If not sprayed at
>exactly the correct hatch time, the worms do their damage in a matter of
>days. We have many white pine seedlings on on our acreage, all budworm
>damaged.
We have the same problem with the white pines; I notice they die off
sooner too!
>
>I wish there was a cure for this lily beetle. What substitute is there for
>lilies in the summer? Lilies do well in cold gardens, a blessing where so
>many other bulbous plants cannot grow. Our members, on this list, are the
>first I have read that have posted first person accounts of the red lily
>beetle.
I have had minor success with Neem Oil or other horticultural oils.
The trick is to get every nook and cranny and keep applying it. But
then a female from somewhere else appears and there goes the
neighborhood again.....
Cheryl
--
Cheryl Isaak
Londonderry, NH
AHS Region 4, USDA Zone 4B/5A
growing, stitching and reading in NH
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
