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Monday 30 May 2011

Those Rotten Little "Blanking" Lily Beetles

OK ... "Blanking" is left up to all of you who hate those little red beetles that swoop in and tuck their napkins into their blasted little necks and start munching on our lilies .. not only do they tie into a feast they also thumb their noses at us and start doing that "naughty" multiplying dance together to spite us .. they have NO shame !!
So .. even though I am way too late for this "trap" .. days and days of rain kept me at bay .. no excuse I know .. in any case, this is my first time trying this trap out.
Totally safe and non damaging to beneficial insects .. our FRIENDS .. in the garden .. which is the right thing to do, other than hand pick these suckers off which I have to have gloves on or you would hear squealing from coast to coast .. take my word for it .. you don't want to hear THAT!
I read the directs a few thousand times and then made husband read them again as I put this together .. and I did not hang it as high as they suggested .. I never do all the RIGHT things when it comes to "put together projects"
But it is better than nothing ?
These are just the mild cases .. I didn't want anyone to swoon over the really scary leaves .. I would have had to have a disclaimer that you couldn't sue me after that traumatic viewing ?
The "bait" that sticks to the side of one of the vanes is amazing .. it smells just like lilies !
It is so good I stood there smelling it, in a some what meditative ? state, until husband cleared his throat and suggested it should be STUCK on the trap and said trap put in the garden and get that glazed look off my face for heaven sake !!
So eventually I broke my hypnotic "smell that lily perfume!" state and did the deed .. so today since it is NOT raining .. I will check on it to see how well it worked .. I'm sure they are just swimming in the pool of rain water .. having a blast .. ready to jump at me the minute I look in the collection bag .. just a warning .. there could be shrill noises across North America when I do that !!

11 comments:

Karen said...

Oh dear, I wouldn't look in the bag! Hubbers would have to do that! Good luck, if I hear any screaming, I'll know where it's coming from.

Jennifer said...

Jennifer@threedogsinagarden
Hi Joy,
I know of two kinds of Japanese Beetles that are invading Canadian gardens. One kind are the little red ones and the other kind are much larger (about the size of a finger nail). This second kind are a sort of florescent green. I have a picture of one in this post: http://threedogsinagarden.blogspot.com/2010/08/kavassalis-garden-oakville.html
This second kind appear later in the summer and are a menace for Rose of Sharon.The reason I am bringing it up is that your package seems to show the second kind, not the first red kind. I hope the trap will work for both(?).
A hate the little red ones just as much as you do. The can turn lilies into swiss cheese!
P.S. You were asking about my camera. I use a Nikon D500.

Anonymous said...

I'll keep my ears plugged, just in case ;)

RPS77 said...

I hear you about the little red beetles. They pretty much destroyed the lilies in my father's garden (the one that I was taking care of until I moved a little further away this year, and that you can see in the photographs from last year). I never tried traps, though - I just sort of threw up my hands and put different plants in place of the lilies.

Good luck with your efforts to get rid of the beetles and save your lilies!

Linda said...

Good luck with that trap. I gave in this year and dug my lilies, they were destroyed last year and I picked and squished and picked and squished. But I knew I couldn't do it this year so I dug the bulbs up and now there is not one little red lily beetle in the garden. I will miss my lilies though. But the good thing is I can go shopping and buy some replacement plants.

Barry said...

Joy:
You can be my guinea pig for this contraption. I had a salesman in and drop one off for me to try in the bursery, but didn't want to for fear that people jump tp the conclusion that our lilies suffer from the beetle already. I have to admit it really is rather ugly.... an eyesore really in the garden, but if it will work..... question is, where do you dispose of the beetles that you capture? Let me know the results as not really confident that Neem Oil is the solution that is needed! Thanks sweetie dahling!

cheryl said...

Hi there Joy. Those red devils have become evil incarnate. I've given up picking them off and drowning them while I dance singing "got another one" and so have begun a heartbreaking task of digging them up. Ones I've had for years are no more. Please let us know if this works or not. Good luck !

GRACE PETERSON said...

Well, with a similar scent it should work. No more of those nasty critters!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Karen girl .. the bag doesn't feel too full (I only felt it a little to spare everyone the muffled ? screaming ?) haha .. I think it was way too late in the season to have this be as affective as it should have been .. so not a positive turn out .. drats !!

Jennifer .. mine are those horrible little red devils .. and I think you are too right .. this was not meant to be all that affective with the red ones .. so I am thinking it will be the case of taking up the lilies .. I just can't stand seeing them ravaged like this .. the other end of the garden where my original ones are (just a couple) seem to be safer because they are in more shade .. BIG sigh ! jeez !
Thanks for the camera info girl !

Patricia I really should mail out ear plugs girl for the benefit of the public safety and sanity ? LOL

RP .. I'm sorry they did such a wicked job on your father's lilies .. I think I have to do the same as you have just so the frustration level won't over come me (I have too many other garden details that can do THAT without more help? haha) .. we just can't control some pests !

Linda .. I think I have to go with the flow on this problem too .. I have just a couple at the other side of the garden that I can almost keep under control but this new ones I put in last year .. more Casablanca that I love .. are too much trouble and aggravation now .. so up they come !

Hello Sweetie ! .. YES ! it is one ugly (blanker ? LOL) and I think rather too late in the season for any results .. those little so and so things are doing the "lets multiply MORE" dance right in front of me .. as I said NO shame !!
So I will be taking it down and taking the lilies UP .. arggh !!

Hello there Cheryl.. I think I was way too late .. and the trap was engineered for the larger ones as Jennifer said .. so a bad result and I will have to dig the lilies up to save my sanity .. not a great out come but a solution for some peace ? LOL

Grace girl .. I am at the end of what little rope I had in dealing with these red devils .. so the lilies will have to come up .. I was so looking forward to those pristine white beauties .. damn !!

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

Oh Joy, I feel your pain because I'm in the same boat. When I toured my garden yesterday, I discovered that almost all my lilies are being destroyed. I had the same problem last year, and spent weeks picking the darn bugs off and destroying them. And despite my best efforts, they kept coming back. I do not have the patience to do it again this year. And next year. And every year after that. When I get outside today, I'm going to remove the ruined lilies; they look horrible, and the flowers on many of them don't look like they're going to open, after all (too damaged). Lilies are my favourite garden bulbs, but they're too much trouble. So, I'm making the sad decision to do without them until a remedy is found that doesn't require me spending hours trying to eliminate the bugs. No more lilies for now...sniff... [reaches for kleenex...dabs eyes...]

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Martha girl I feel especially bad for you too because I know how attached you are to lilies .. I gave up yesterday .. I pulled the sun side lilies up but the original ones I have in half shade aren't as bad so i am trying to keep them .. even if it means squishing those rotten buggers .. I so want to try and save those ones .. you would think by now they could find an affective solution ???
Arrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhh !!!!