Know the enemy

[callmemadam]

Today I bagged my first lily beetles of the season. These deceptively beautiful little so-and-sos have already destroyed every fritillary in the garden so each summer now I keep a strict watch on the lilies. I grow all my lilies in pots, which makes the job a lot easier. The bugs come out when the sun is shining and they are always under the leaf. If you disturb them they drop instantly and burrow into the compost in a trice. So you arm yourself with a little pot and having detected them, put the pot under the leaf and knock them into it. Then squash: easier said than done. If you don't do this, not only will every leaf be in ribbons but the remains will be covered in the disgusting larvae, which live in excrement. I got about half a dozen today but some escaped. Not for long! I will return.