"Bob" wrote in message
...

snip lily bettle woes


The best thing to do if you spot a lily beetle is to squish it. They fall
off the leaves if you're not careful, so get a bit of kitchen towel, and
catch the beetle in that - it will stop your hands getting all juicy when
you squish the bugs too :-)

Ick, yes, I notied they be juicey little devils !


there are a couple of parasitic wasps, but even if you could
get them, they'd be no good unless your lilies were in a greenhouse - the
wasps would just fly away!

I was hoping they might be wasps I could encourage to nest nearby. Which is
saying summat cos I'm abit of a wimp when it comes to flying stingers.

Anyway, if you don't like pesticides, check the lilies each day and squish
any beetles you find. I've only found 3 so far, so I hope I've stopped it
in time.

I saw a couple today and I squished 'em with a trowel (well, cut em in half
might be a better description) - which is usual for me as I am very live and
let live. However, now that I am growing things I have seen the other side
of the coin.
Slugs get the best beer to drown in though.;-)

I musta had four or five of them on the plant till I figured out what they
were. I am considering digging the lily out - I've only got the one, the
poor thing. It's spent houseplant that I put in earlier this year so it is
really getting the hell kicked out of it by these beasties.



Rachael