That Darn Lily Leaf Beetle!
Terrie Greco, B.A.; HLT Dip.
We have an intruder in this country – a bold, brash, bright reddish orange beetle known as the Lily Leaf Beetle (Lilioceris lilii). This beetle hails from Europe and Asia, and was noticed in the Montreal area in the early 1940’s. It has been heading west ever since, leaving a trail of destruction among your favourite Lily plants.
Even if this ‘import’ had natural predators, its habits are so disgusting that even the most self respecting bird avoids it. The larva has a peculiar habit of using its own excrement as a protective cloak. Not an attractive appetizer let alone a main course for any predator. If this wasn’t bad enough, the brightly coloured adult has an uncanny sense of timing. When the adult senses danger, (such as a gardener preparing to pluck it from the leaf) it folds up its six black legs and ‘sky dives’ to the ground – with its black underside facing up. Adventure and camouflage all in one clever ploy!
The burning question – how do we control it? Using Neem oil as a repellent on the leaves shows plenty of promise. Monitoring and handpicking are very effective. Watch for the brightly coloured adults emerging from the soil in late spring and grab them before they find true love! Each female can deposit 400+ eggs – capturing and destroying a few will make a difference. If some beetles end up having a tryst – don’t call yourself gram or gramps yet! Brush off small orange rows of eggs from the underside of leaves before the larval stage emerges. Two or more generations are possible, so be diligent with these recommendations until late August.
Check out the following photographs.
Lily Leaf Beetle .Note the bright red orange body and black head and legs – capture and destroy!!!
Lily Leaf Beetle. Adult females lay small orange cylindrical shaped eggs in neat rows on the underside of Lily leaves in late spring – brush them off with a gloved hand or remove the leaf.
Lily Leaf Beetle larva covered in an ‘excrement cloak’ – gross! Some insects have no manners…
Lily Leaf Beetle. I have removed these leaves to show the eggs and different stages of the larva. Notice the severe destruction of the leaf tissue! These insects have no mercy.
Lily Leaf Beetle. It just goes to show you that this pest can destroy a plant within a few days.
Keep your eyes open in the garden – you never know what’s hiding behind that leaf! Keep reading this blog for more info.
Good info. I have noticed this same type of destruction on the leaves of my ‘Black Eyed Susan’ vine. Does this beetle attack plants other than lilies? ( I do have lilies in my garden and they do not seem to be under attack).
Hi there – thanks for the positive feedback! In my experience, Lily Leaf
Beetle is still concentrating all its destructive efforts on Lily plants
(Lilium spp. – not Hemerocallis spp, or Daylilies) Black Eyed Susan Vine
(Thunbergia alata) is prone to attack by numerous pests, such as whitefly,
scale, spider mite, etc. However, if you think the damage is similar in
appearance to the photos on the Lily Beetle blog, it is possible you may have
Japanese Beetle. The damage they create on the leaves can be somewhat similar.
In a blog for today, I am posting some photos I took yesterday at the
Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton. Take a good look at them. There is quite a high population of these
beetles in our area this summer. Otherwise – please feel free to send some
high resolution photos of the damage, and if you see any pests such as small
caterpillars or beetles (check the soil in the container as well if you have
planted this in a hanging basket). I would be happy to help you identify the
problem and recommend treatment. Please get back to us when you can.
Hello!
I have some lilys also, but they prefer garlic.
Is it possible, that this beetles eat my garlic and young onion leaves( especially in spring)? All what you described and the pictures are same …. and they just love my garlic
Hello and thank you for writing. At the present time, there are no reports of the Lily Leaf Beetle damaging the plants mentioned. Ww would require some more details to answer this question. Example-when did the damage start (time of year), where are you located (temp range/climate), what did the damage look like (rounded holes/ragged tears/ location on the plant). This information would allow us to diagnose more accurately. Thanks.