My lilies are up about 8" without a single sign of them. That has never happened before. I tried something that I remembered from a few years ago. It worked then and I would say it worked now. But I think it has to be done early in the season. I applied a soil drench of Sevin (I don't remember the ratio I used... I had to infer from spray rates to soil drench rates). I did this very early on. Not sure if it will hold up, but so far clean as a whistle. Unless they are just late for some reason.... :-(

Steve mass - Claire did a wonderful FAQ on the red lily beetle. When I read about the life cycle with the larvae going underground, I decided to try the GrubX to see if that could kill them. I already walk the gardens in the spring sprinkling GrubX on the irises - to kill off iris borer - so its no big deal to also sprinkle it on the lilies. From th FAQ: "LIFE CYCLE: The adult beetle overwinters in the soil or plant debris and emerges in early spring looking for food and a mate. After mating, the female lays eggs in lines on the underside of Lilium or Fritillaria leaves. Some damage is done by the adults at this time, but the major damage comes when the eggs hatch into larvae in 7-10 days. The larvae voraciously consume all leaves within reach and may then start on flower buds. This continues for 2 to 3 weeks, when the larvae then drop into the soil and begin to pupate. In another 2 to 3 weeks the adult beetles emerge to start eating again. This process occurs from early spring to mid-summer. Reportedly the beetles won't mate and lay eggs until the next spring. " But now I read that parasitic wasps were released in Wellesley, and I live the next to Wellesley. So maybe I am benefitting from the parasitic wasps and my GrubX has not done a thing? Now - I may be slightly confused. Were parasitic wasps for winter moth also released in Wellesley? Since my winter moth population is also down.

I'm not an expert, but I would think that you should spray now since you've already seen them. A soil drench will probably take longer to get into the plant's system (via the roots) then the spray, which should be absorbed directly into the leaves and stems. The soil drench is probably best early in the season when you don't see much plant yet, but the bulb/roots are very active. It also will kill any adults that are sleeping under the ground. It also might be good late in the season when the adults are diving down for the winter. Spray now, and then when you get the beetles under control you can consider using the drench if it's more convenient. The only thing I've worried about is the fertilizer that may be included with the pesticide (check the label). A fertilizer is probably OK for the lily bulbs, but might not be good for adjacent perennials late in the season. Claire

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.