Subtitle: Well, what would you have done?SomeBeans came across this very intimate scene earlier today. Although his horticultural skills have developed such that he (a) has sole control over the houseplants (see previous post) and (b) has now planted both plug plants and seeds (although was disappointed that mature plants did not spring forth immediately from the sown seed), I was distressed to discover that the lily munching paramours were let off a death sentence.
Quite apart from the moral turpitude of capturing such an intimate act, the real shock was that he allowed the besporting beasties to continue undisturbed and unmolested. The emailed photo sent to me this morning was captioned "I couldn't kill them". Where have I gone wrong...an opportunity to smite not one of the little bu99ers but two of them at once, before they send forth their frass encrusted offspring to wreak yet more havoc on my lilies.
What would you have done?
For those lucky enough not to have encountered the lily beetle, the links below gives a profile of the pest, and explains the rather delightful habits of the larvae
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0500/beetle.asp
http://www.uoguelph.ca/pdc/Factsheets/Insect/LilyLeafBeetle.htm
7 comments:
I'd probably have crushed the little buggers mid snoo-snoo. If I was feeling generous I'd have waited for them to finish first. Somebeans has a little way to go doesn't he? My Hubster keeps his succulents at work so I can't criticise him...
Noooo - now you will have hundreds of them - I bet it wasn't their first time either.
I really hate red lily beetle
Regards
Karen
I got one this evening, but the other escaped...
Luckily I don't know lily beetles, but I have the dubious pleasure to know mister green grasshopper(s) with brilliant blue eyes and they see and eat everything tender and juicy. They are easy to grab...but they look at me with their big blue eys (this is true) and they are still enjoying...
Thank you for visiting and your message. Yes, a rose without scent is not worth to grow! I do enjoy your blog and tongue in cheek writing.
totally bonkers not to squish them. They are worse than slugs IMHO. It takes long years of your fritillaries getting munched to work up to my level of indignation though.
Extermination tip of the day. When squishing lily beetles keep your other hand just underneath the leaf where they are loafing (or, in this case, fornicating). This is because their first reaction is to fling themselves to the ground where they lie on their backs - therefore concealing the visible red bit and effecting a very clever bit of camouflage.
You're all ichor*-crazed psychopaths!
*ichor being the blood-like fluid that fills beetles, orcs, HappyMouffe's car and the like...
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