Lily bug beetles

Here is a photo of our old house near Ottawa. We had bought the house in 2004 from an Italian family who grew not only many flowers in raised beds, but grapes, in this heavily treed Nepean, Ontario, property.

The owner had difficulty selling, since they were in an older part of the city and were on well water with a rickety septic system. The previous owners made wine from the grapes and the basement had a wine cellar.

I adored this home, with 3 skylights. The roof needed replacing, which we completed in 2005, on this 1960s house. We lived with renovations for a long season. Hours were spent creating gardens around the back, researching for shade plants like hostas and lily of the valley. I had created a pond, built from old flagstones from the front steps, which also had needed replacing.

One of the best parts of this garden were the lilies. The owner had lovingly planted many of them in various shades. The problem was, of course, the lily bugs.

These bright red bugs ravage the leaves, leaving lovely a sticky goo behind on the leaves. I did some research and found out from my gardening magazines that the goo was, in fact, their waste product! Yuck. They suggested going around every day, squishing the bugs, underfoot if you were squeamish, or dropping them in a bucket of water. What a time consuming task.

But these bugs are bugs that are easily controlled!

I found in one of my nursery catalogues a product called Neem Oil. What a difference. You spray the leaves and this natural tree oil keeps the bugs from reproducing. (You can see them doing their dance on the right!)

When I moved here to Muskoka (with only two weeks notice) in April, 2006, I left my poor husband back in Ottawa caring for my garden.
It was his job to spritz the Neem Oil on my Asiatic lilies, to prevent the lily bugs from eating the beautiful plants alive. Not a gardener, I had to first explain what a lily was, and then hope and pray all would be well. I have no idea what happened. It is sad leaving a garden behind, but move on, you must.

I cannot help but mark the arrival of the dreaded lily bugs again this season. They are not as bad in Muskoka, as in the city. But I still keep my bottle of Neem Oil in the sun, ready for a spritz. I dodge the black flies, hope for a wind, hot too much to throw off the spray and waltz around the garden spreading the oil. What a relief. Here is a foreshadowing: Guinevere sits, in August, 2008, admiring my lilies.


Then there is my mosquito hawk, spotted yesterday, who was threading its way around the garden, looking for prey. You go!

The tulips look no worse for wear with cool night time temperatures.









More resources:

Lily Leaf Beetle Life Cycle from the U. Mass. They say, "This pest will only lay its eggs on true lilies and Fritillaria species."

Ottawa Orchid Society’s Fact Sheet on Neem