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Pests & Diseases - Australia

Lily Pilly Hedge - Pest eating leaves

12 years ago

Hi

We are in Sydney, in North Rocks

We have a lovely Lily Pilly hedge in the backyard, around 12 years old and around 2m HIGH, its always been real healthy looking till this spring. Since say the last 4 months i have noticed that some inspect is eating up all the new leaves, not completely, but the edges, and also some of the older leaves and also leaving a black spotty residue on the leaves. Probably their faeces. Because of the residue the leaves look quite dull, unlike the bright green look they used to have earlier.

I think its grass hoppers or something similar

What can i do to get rid of them.

Thanks

Tony

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Comments (4)

miketrees
12 years ago
You really need to find out what the pest is before you can control them.

Going out at night to check what the pest is is a good start.

Some weevils are a bit difficult to control and you probably need a pyrethroid type spray, while caterpillars are a bit easier to control.

You still need to know what it is you are dealing with.
funnelweb
11 years ago
Hit 'em with a dose of Labacid or Malathion available at Bunnings and all good nurseries. Cautiously used in accordance with directions it won't do any harm. It'll also take care of leaf blistering psilids.
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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
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I have managed to keep a few lilies. I would grow a ton more if it weren't for the RLLB. I hand pick them off every year. I haven't had to do that much this year and the foliage on my Orania is looking really good. I take a large 5 gallon bucket with a few inches of water in the bottom and hold that under the leaf they are sitting on and just flick them in. They do like to drop and turn over on their back so all that is showing is a brown underside and I can't see them at all when they do that. The large bucket with a handle makes the whole process a whole lot easier and more successful. I pour the water with the beetles onto the driveway and step on them. I had Nicotiana 'Lime' for two years running because it reseeded for me, but had none this year. They were growing right next to the Lilies but I didn't notice the beetles on them.
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I have done some more research - the beetle is the cause of the trouble. It is apparently a Green Strip Leaf Beetle (Calomela Pallida) which is normally kept under control by birds. However there is an apparent imbalance happening at the moment as by coincidence we have observed severe damage to other Lillypilly hedges on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast today - as well as our own Brisbane site. Green Beetles were all over these hedges. The next question I have is what is a non-toxic remedy for the control of these critters?
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Emmett35
11 years ago
I have a tall S. australe hedge with EXACTLY the same symptoms as tony61.

The culprit is not immediately visible or obvious when looking (I think tony61 found the same). However I attach a pic of the little bugger I found tonight (shiny green oval body, red legs).

Can anyone ID this fellow and recommend a preferred control (or confirm funnelweb's suggestion as above)?
Emmett35
11 years ago
With a bit of further research this referenced link looks like it nails the question - i.e. green strip leaf beetle - and suggested controls

Here is a link that might be useful: Green Strip Leaf Beetle control

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