"Mary Fisher" wrote
We've come home from a week in Aberdeen to find that my mother has died
and we do, in fact, have lily beetle - red beetles and black larvae (?)

I can't do anything about the former but will someone please remind me
about how to deal with the second, please?

Enough is enough!


Sorry to hear about your mother, time lessens the pain a little, or at least
makes it bearable.

Lilly beetle, I used to pick them off religiously daily but still they did
severe damage if I went away for a holiday, even a few days was enough for
them to ruin plants. Madonna Lilies were simply impossible and we lost most
of our others over the course of a few years because of the damage done
annually.
Then a couple of years ago I was going on holiday for a few weeks about the
time the little devils were at their worse and resorted to spraying all our
Regal lilies with "Polysect", a systemic insecticide. When I arrived back
there were superb plants with no damage, and what is more interesting is
that the next year they were better and bigger than ever. I spray now as a
matter of course. (the lilies are the only ornamentals I spray)

Unless you want the seeds for propagation pick off all seed pods to allow
all the goodness to go into bulb formation, otherwise leave the stem/leaves
to provide food until they turn brown and die.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK