If like me you enjoy growing lilies of all colours as well as fritillarias, then you may have noticed that the leaves often are eaten up by an orange insect.

The culprit in question is called the Lily Beetle. Only this morning I spotted a couple of lily beetles simply basking in the sun on the top leaves of my Stargazer pink lilies.

Lily Beetle

Don’t be seduced by its good looks: this is a real pest as it can devour everything on your beautiful lilies. I prefer to deal with them the organic way so I have only found two options so far.

The friendly way: I collect the beetles and release them in the green bin just before collection – good luck lily beetle!

The drastic way: I simply squash them between my fingers (tinged orange!) or on the garden path.

Beware of the lily beetle, this clever insect likes to hide away or drop on the floor and play dead as soon as it notices danger. You may also notice that they make a squeeky little noise when they feel danger.

You will also have to remove any slime covered brown little grubs which hang off the leaves as these are young lily beetles.

My flower borders have benefited from the the recent rain and sun which we have had and hopefully I should see my lilies in blossom soon.