Another summer fighting these bugs. I have just about decided to dig up the bulbs and not grow them next year Just is to much effort when there is so much else to do in the garden And I am getting older. What I have been thinking I might try, as a last resort, is dig up the bulbs, a little later in August perhaps, (I have been stripping all the leaves off the stems, now trying to rid myself of this problem) It doesn't work though But I was thinking that I might dig up some of my best lilies, and I have some beuties, my favourite is Casablanca, but dig them up and put them into a couple of large and I mean large black pots, of which I have a couple extra, Putting new bagged soil in the tubs leave them out in the sun and rain for a couple of weeks or so or til frost and then store them overwinter in the garage, til spring. I have this year a couple of lilies growing in pots from last year, with a mixture of other perennials and annuals and they do not have the lily bug on them So could be worth a try any opinions?

Run, don't walk, to your nearest Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, or garden store and buy Slug Bait. (Sluggo, Slug be Gone, etc.,). A few holes in the leaves isn't the main problem, its when the slugs eat off the entire tip as the lily shoot is first emerging that's painful. No tip, no flowers this year, and stressful for the bulb. First pull back mulch from your lilies, (especially leaf mulch which slugs like to hide under). Then sprinkle the slug bait to make a perimeter barrier around your lilies. Slugs will find your lilies before you even know they are coming up so also make barriers around any other lilies that haven't come up yet. Do shady/densely planted gardens first since slugs are more of a problem there. Good luck, Helen

With pittosporums, you can cut the whole thing off at the base and it still grows back, in my experience. I don't know about lily pillies, though. I reckon just leave them be and if they're not doing anything by October, get rid of 'em.

Gosh, it seems there's huge ecological restoration needed in your neighbourhood, blckrose. You've certainly described an environmental disaster zone of monumentous proportions. All of those factors you mention have had enormous negative impacts on native wildlife thereby causing many people to reach for the sprays because natural controls are no longer present. As you would be aware, Noisy Miners have proliferated because of the massive clearance of native understorey thereby creating their preferred open woodland conditions. You might also be aware that a number of communities are now conducting Indian Mynah eradication programmes in order to encourage the return of native woodland birds, many species of which are threatened but provide wonderful environmental services such as control of insect pests if given the chance. Cat controls are also slowly gathering pace but, of course, much more is needed if we are to have a cat-free, native wildlife restoration culture in Australia. So if we are to reduce the impact & cost of sprays in our environment then the issue needs to be tackled on a very broad, multi-pronged front, as you are perhaps implying, blckrose.