RED BUG
Location: Peabbody, Massachusetts.
June 15, 2011 8:00 am
This critter appears overnight and usually with allthe kin to start a hostile takeover.
The bug is normally solitary but will share an occassional leaf with another.
These bugs apparently hate direct light because I always find the bug under the leaf.
These bugs can destroy an entire Tiger Lilly in an hour. Then move onto the next plant.
What is it’s name; how do I control this plague?
Signature: Rod
Hi Rod,
The Lily Leaf Beetle, Lilioceris lilii, has been introduced from Europe and it has gained a major foothold in Canada and New England. As your letter indicates, it feeds on the leaves of domesticated lily plants. The best way to control them is to get the larvae. Once they are adults, they are reproducing and they can fly, making them more mobile. According to BugGuide: “The larvae are found beneath mounds of dark brown “crud” along the edges of leaves they are eating, literally a protective barrier of their own feces.” We would recommend that you target the larval stage in your attempts to eradicate the Lily Leaf Beetle from your garden.