Thanks, PM2:

FIRST REPORTED SPRING SIGHTINGS:

2015 - April 17 in CT Zone 6 near the NY border, reported by casey1gw.
2015 - April 17 in Metro Boston Zone 6, reported by prairiemoon2.
2015 - April 18 in Millbury, MA Zone 5b, reported by Steve Massachusetts.

Claire

andI haven't seen any of these pests yet in my Cape Cod garden but it's only a matter of time, since I've had them for the past six years. Last summer I was really conscientious about applying Neem every week to kill the young larvae plus Spiosad sprayings, and I had a relatively sparse infestation. Oh yes, I also patrolled in the morning and knocked any beetles I saw into a container of water with a few drops of liquid soap in it. As the summer went on I got madder and just squished them with my gloved fingers.

This if from the U Mass Amherst Fact Sheet about control of lily leaf beetles:

Management

If your customers only have a few plants in their garden, hand-picking adults and eggs can be effective. For more than a few susceptible plants, pesticide treatments may be needed. Products containing Neem, a botanical insecticide, have been shown to kill very young larvae but must be applied every five to seven days after egg hatch. Products containing the systemic imidacloprid are reportedly providing effective control applied either as a foliage spray or soil drench depending on label instructions. Products containing spinosad, a microbial insecticide, may also be effective. Before recommending a product or applying any pesticide, read the label and apply only as directed on the label.

Drat, I had forgotten about these darn things - more liked blocked it out, is more likely! And I have a LOT of lilies, as I used to grow them for the market. I haven't looked yet, but guess I should get out there and take a peek.

Claire, can you tell us - or give us a link to - the first sightings from last year? I'd be interested to see the comparison.

Really keeping my fingers crossed about the parasitic wasp they released a few years back. Of course, I said the same thing last year....

Dee

Dee: The first sightings are in the How do I keep the red lily leaf beetle from destroying my lilies? FAQ. Scroll down a little way to get the first sightings.

Claire

I killed three of them two days ago (April 21) in Holbrook, MA. I was cleaning up my potted Stargazers and there they were!

Thanks Claire! I knew you had this info somewhere!

sandysoil added to FAQ draft.

FIRST REPORTED SPRING SIGHTINGS:

2015 - April 17 in CT Zone 6 near the NY border, reported by casey1gw.
2015 - April 17 in Metro Boston Zone 6, reported by prairiemoon2.
2015 - April 18 in Millbury, MA Zone 5b, reported by Steve Massachusetts.
2015 - April 21 in Holbrook, MA Zone 6b, reported by sandysoil.

I was outside this evening (freezing my butt off, I might add, in my winter coat) to scrounge some fresh thyme for dinner, and took a quick look at a lily patch I have, but didn't see any beetles yet. I'm hoping that if they are out there, the little cold snap we're having might do them in. Supposed to get down to 30 degrees tonight. One can only hope....

Saw my first adult beetle today, April 31, on Cape Cod Zone 7a, Also noticed some chewed leaves on two lilies. Ugh!

I forgot to post this yesterday - I finally saw the darn things in the garden. They were hard to spot, but I saw the holes in the foliage and finally found a few. Drat.

capecodcook: Was that April 30 or May 1 (April is a sneaky short month)? I'll assume April 30 unless you correct me.

Claire

FIRST REPORTED SPRING SIGHTINGS:

2015 - April 17 in CT Zone 6 near the NY border, reported by casey1gw.
2015 - April 17 in Metro Boston Zone 6, reported by prairiemoon2.
2015 - April 18 in Millbury, MA Zone 5b, reported by Steve Massachusetts.
2015 - April 21 in Holbrook, MA Zone 6b, reported by sandysoil.
2015 - April 30 on Cape Cod Zone 7a, reported by capecodcook.
2015 - April 30 in CT Zone 6, reported by diggerdee.

Hi Claire--It was April 30! Don't know why I wanted April to last even longer--I'm so glad that it's finally May!

Just killed 3 adult beetles 15 minutes ago, on the two inch long lilies in zone 5b in Reading, MA.

daffodil33: Can you say what state?

Claire

FIRST REPORTED SPRING SIGHTINGS:

2015 - April 17 in CT Zone 6 near the NY border, reported by casey1gw.
2015 - April 17 in Metro Boston Zone 6, reported by prairiemoon2.
2015 - April 18 in Millbury, MA Zone 5b, reported by Steve Massachusetts.
2015 - April 21 in Holbrook, MA Zone 6b, reported by sandysoil.
2015 - April 30 on Cape Cod Zone 7a, reported by capecodcook.
2015 - April 30 in CT Zone 6, reported by diggerdee.
2015 - May 3 in Zone 5b, reported by daffodil33.

Just killed about 8 adult beetles yesterday. The lilies are only about 3 inches up out of the ground and there they were sitting along the stems and leaves. I've been watching them for any holes and sure enough as soon as I saw the first hole, there were the beetles on a nearby stem. The past few years, I've been knocking them into water but this year, as soon as I saw them, I didn't want to go get the water bucket, so I just held my hand under them and flicked them into my hand and disposed of them that way. Just as easy and quicker.

I kill about 8 a day. They prefer the green leafed ones by my chelone and avoid (so far) the orientpets.

They made it to my home in Ansonia, CT.

FIRST REPORTED SPRING SIGHTINGS:

2015 - April 17 in CT Zone 6 near the NY border, reported by casey1gw.
2015 - April 17 in Metro Boston Zone 6, reported by prairiemoon2.
2015 - April 18 in Millbury, MA Zone 5b, reported by Steve Massachusetts.
2015 - April 21 in Holbrook, MA Zone 6b, reported by sandysoil.
2015 - April 30 on Cape Cod Zone 7a, reported by capecodcook.
2015 - April 30 in CT Zone 6, reported by diggerdee.
2015 - May 3 in Zone 5b, reported by daffodil33.
2015 - May 7 in Ansonia, CT Zone 6b, reported by javaandjazz.

Claire

What's the best way to kill them? I squish them, but that's kind of gross. Thanks.

I suspect that squishing is the fastest and easiest. But mostly I prefer to go out in the morning, when they seem to move more slowly, and knock them off the leaves into a small container of water with a drop of liquid soap in it, which causes them to drown. You have to be quick and definite about it because if they sense your presence they will drop down to the ground, flipping over to their backs so you can't see them!

Yes, I've used that technique for the last few years and if you hold the container of water under the leaf they are on, if they drop to the ground they land in the water. One problem I've had, is that when I see them, I don't always have a container of water and by the time I go get one, they are sometimes gone. So I've been skipping that step this year and holding my hand under the leaf they are on, knocking them into my hand, putting them on the ground and stepping on them.

That would work too!! I often have the same problem and do the same thing!

I saw my first lily leaf beetle today on a tiger lily. The lilies have been up for a while and don't have much in the way of holes in the leaves. I drowned the beetle with a spinosad spray I happened to have handy (Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew - I like the name).

I haven't seen many beetles for the last few years and I hope that continues this year.

Claire

FIRST REPORTED SPRING SIGHTINGS:

2015 - April 17 in CT Zone 6 near the NY border, reported by casey1gw.
2015 - April 17 in Metro Boston Zone 6, reported by prairiemoon2.
2015 - April 18 in Millbury, MA Zone 5b, reported by Steve Massachusetts.
2015 - April 21 in Holbrook, MA Zone 6b, reported by sandysoil.
2015 - April 30 on Cape Cod Zone 7a, reported by capecodcook.
2015 - April 30 in CT Zone 6, reported by diggerdee.
2015 - May 3 in Zone 5b, reported by daffodil33.
2015 - May 7 in Ansonia, CT Zone 6b, reported by javaandjazz.
2015 - May 13 in Plymouth, MA Zone 6b, reported by claireplymouth.

From another thread, a sighting in Buffalo, NY.

FIRST REPORTED SPRING SIGHTINGS:

2015 - April 17 in CT Zone 6 near the NY border, reported by casey1gw.
2015 - April 17 in Metro Boston Zone 6, reported by prairiemoon2.
2015 - April 18 in Millbury, MA Zone 5b, reported by Steve Massachusetts.
2015 - April 21 in Holbrook, MA Zone 6b, reported by sandysoil.
2015 - April 30 on Cape Cod Zone 7a, reported by capecodcook.
2015 - April 30 in CT Zone 6, reported by diggerdee.
2015 - May 3 in Zone 5b, reported by daffodil33.
2015 - May 7 in Ansonia, CT Zone 6b, reported by javaandjazz.
2015 - May 13 in Plymouth, MA Zone 6b, reported by claireplymouth.
2015 - May 16 in Buffalo, NY Zone 6a, reported by cmkania1.

Claire

Drats, I thought I was home free. But no, first sightings today.... May 19 in West Haven, CT. Also note that I had my first two "kills" of the season.

After the rain I went out with a knife and a quart-sized take-out container filled with a water/dish soap/PineSol mixture and followed the above advice: held the water mixture below the RLB and used the knife to flick the stem. They dropped into the water ... floundered a bit.. then quickly sank to the bottom.

Hope those parasitic little wasps make their way to southern CT soon!

Molie

FIRST REPORTED SPRING SIGHTINGS:

2015 - April 17 in CT Zone 6 near the NY border, reported by casey1gw.
2015 - April 17 in Metro Boston Zone 6, reported by prairiemoon2.
2015 - April 18 in Millbury, MA Zone 5b, reported by Steve Massachusetts.
2015 - April 21 in Holbrook, MA Zone 6b, reported by sandysoil.
2015 - April 30 on Cape Cod Zone 7a, reported by capecodcook.
2015 - April 30 in CT Zone 6, reported by diggerdee.
2015 - May 3 in Zone 5b, reported by daffodil33.
2015 - May 7 in Ansonia, CT Zone 6b, reported by javaandjazz.
2015 - May 13 in Plymouth, MA Zone 6b, reported by claireplymouth.
2015 - May 16 in Buffalo, NY Zone 6a, reported by cmkania1.
2015 - May 19 in West Haven, CT Zone 6b, reported by moliep.

A few days ago I saw two beetles mating and then another the next day. These were all on the tiger lilies in one small area of the yard. I haven't seen any anywhere else in the yard even though the other lilies are getting big. I'm hoping that I've contained the infestation there and that the parasitic wasps are active throughout.

Claire

I killed two fornicating beetles yesterday, but those are the only two I've seen for the last week or so. I'm waiting for the nasty little fecal covered larvae to appear.

I often see a "threesome," which is almost as disgusting as the horrible dung-covered larvae (but not quite.)

I am surprised that I haven't seen any more RLLB or damage to the lily leaves either. Could I possibly have gotten the only Beetles in the garden with that first find? I'm still checking for them though. I think a lot of bug populations are down this year, including bees. The darn Winter Moths are still here, but not in their usual numbers. I don't see as much damage on the trees. They have done a lot of accumulative damage to one of our Maple Trees, I see too many dead branches. They've been infested for years.

Interesting comment that prariemoon2 is seeing fewer bugs this year--could it have something to do with the long, cold, snowy winter we just endured? (I'm no entomologist but I just wondered.) Does anyone know where the parasitic wasps have been released? I know that there have been releases of these insects to help control the RLBs, but I don't know where. Not on Cape Cod, I'm pretty sure. At least not in MY garden! ;-)

There are several different kinds of wasps that parasitize the larvae of the RLLB. The chart in the middle shows the distribution of one of them, Tetrastichus setifer. Cotuit was one release site. No release sites in my area (Central Mass).

But they move slowly. By 2006 T. setifer was found about 7 miles away from the release site in Cumberland, RI. So it takes time, but they do move and control the RLLB where they exist.

If you are so inclined you can collect some of the larvae for the researchers. The larvae have to be at the 4th or 5th instar (developmental stage). They will get back to you and let you know if the larvae have been parasitized by the wasps.

Lily Leaf Beetle Larvae Collections 2015

Steve

Thank you, Steve! That is really interesting. Cotuit is about 18 miles from where I live in Yarmouth Port, and I AM going to collect some of the disgusting little devils when I see them--not sure how to know what instar stage they will be at, but I assume it's when they are relatively large. Anything to help science deal with these destructive pests! Anyway, thanks for the heads-up about the 2015 LLB larvae collections.

I am whispering this, so I don't tempt 'the gods', but my lilies are budding up and have completely clean foliage still. Has never happened in my garden in 10 years. I swear I only found about 10 Red Lily Beetles early on and I can't believe I must have gotten them all. Had to be the winter that did it.

I am thinking there may be an explanation for the lack of RLLBs in my garden this year. I saw what looked like very small bees cruising the lily patch, when there were clearly no blooms. It suddenly occurred to me, maybe they were the predatory wasps they released? So, I've stopped looking for more RLLBs because if they are there, I'd want to leave them for the wasps to keep the wasps coming back. That would be great if that was the case.

Wish it were so for me, PM2. I have been finding many disgusting clots of larvae underneath the leaves. For a while I was pulling off the whole leaf and dropping it into the lethal mixture that I carry into the garden. I guess I missed some pre-copulating beetles because the undersides of my plants are covered. Ugh!

If they travel, without released batches, at that rate... I'll be long gone from my gardens when they reach southern CT....:(

I've been finding fewer and fewer beetles but have squished many larvae so maybe the next generation will be smaller.

Very sorry for you Molie. What bug makes more of an ugly mess of a plant?! Of course, I'm not sure about the wasps, because really it could have been the very hard winter. And you are in 6b, so here in 6a it could have been just enough colder to have reduced their numbers.

Casey, that makes sense to me. If you do a great job every year of getting them early and keep at it, I would think every year it would be minimal. I suppose that doesn't mean they can't fly in from some other garden, but keeping the populations as low as possible seems the best we can hope for. Although I have so little problem this year, I'm sure next year will not be a repeat. lol

I don't have any yet either for the first time in many years. I'm totally shocked.

Winter moth, on the other hand, has been insane around here though. Yuck.

I'm almost afraid to say anything. . . after finding some adults a few weeks ago and drowning them, I haven't seen any RLLBS lately. Still have what I think are some "old holes" on the foliage but no new ones. And I'm being vigilant because I want to find some larvae to collect to send away for science! Was it the early applications of Neem, or the extra cold winter, or the drought of the last several weeks. . . or are they just hiding and waiting to pop out en masse?

As I wrote (bragged) on June 1, I have had fewer RLLBs this year. So today (June 9) I duly went about my observational chores and LO! There was a leaf with a couple of the disgusting poop-covered larvae on it. And when I looked, several more. All confined to one particular lily plant, but still. Thanks to SteveMassachusetts up-thread, I was motivated to clip off several leaves with larvae and pack them off to the University of Rhode Island where they are looking for the presence of the parasitizing wasps. They say they will email me with the results.

Lily Leaf Beetle Larvae Collections 2015

Thanks for the reminder, capecodcook. I've seen a few more adults this year but I haven't really looked for the larvae yet. I will now and if I get a few I'll pack them off to URI. I hope the local USPS person doesn't ask what's in that package...

Claire

I know, claireplymouth; i am very interested to hear from URI about whether any wasps have made it to my garden yet. Fingers crossed!

capecodcook: I looked this morning, found some late stage larvae, and packed them up. I'll bring them to the post office today for their trip to URI. They were all in that one area near the road where the lilies have seeded themselves. None anywhere else in the yard.

Claire

I have only found two beetles so far, probably 3weeks apart, so i am happy. Which lilies of yours are being attacked???? Oriental or asiatic? i have only 4 week oriental and that where the red beetle was on, i have prob around 15 asiatic and no damage there.

Tlking about winter moth damage, it was severe!!! Rose, azaleas even Mountain laurel!!! They also ate all buds on my peonies and none of the bloomed.

nightmart: I've only seen the beetles on the old-fashioned Tiger Lily (Lilium lancifolium). They haven't come near my oriental lilies which are in a different area of the yard.

I also saw winter moth damage on the roses which are under a defoliated oak but none of the others in an open area

I'd never heard of winter moth caterpillars eating peonies! You really were cursed this year!

Claire

Hi nightmart--the lilies that I find the dreaded crimson beetles on are my asiatic and oriental lilies. Somehow, my Tiger Lilies don't succumb, or at least haven't so far--it's always a possibility! I've got them in several beds in different parts of my year--the worst infestation is usually in one particular bed where I have some really tall, older lilies.

The beetles are on every kind of lily I have. Discouraging....

Still no beetles here. Shhhhh, don't tell them!

If they stay away until my lilies bloom, I might even get up the courage to plant MORE!

In my yard it seems to be an issue of location, location, location. I'm only seeing the beetles on the tiger lilies in one corner of the yard. They haven't reached the other tiger lilies scattered around other parts of the yard and none of the other lilies by the house.

I suspect a new infestation flew in and settled where it found some lilies. I figure if I can wipe these out I'll be OK next year. I'll probably do a soil drench with a Bayer's product.

Claire

I spoke too fast, yesterday morning I found the beetle on oriental again, Asiatic right next to orientals remain untouched