lily beetles

[enigma]

are there any biological controls for Asiatic lily beetles (those pretty but nasty red things)yet... besides paying the kid a penny per dead beetle? lee

[Cheryl Isaak]

Nope! *(&)*(&)(*@(!#^&^*_!@#*( red lily beetles.

Supposedly there is/was work going on with a parasitic wasp that preys on them in the Orient, but I have not heard anything recently about it.

Cheryl

[Ann]

Cheryl Isaak expounded:

Yea, out at UMass. I think from the delay things aren't going well. The fly they released in Hingham for the winter moth larvae may work their way towards me fairly quickly, I'm two towns over. But those damned beetles.............grrrrrrrrr

[enigma]

Ann wrote in news: [e-mail]:

want to rent my 4 YO? he's pretty good at making 'beetle soup' (i give him a dish of soapy water to drop the beetles in). i do feel for you. you've had to deal with them longer than i have. took another year for them to get up here after you first saw them. perhaps the parasitic wasp doesn't handle cold well. the beetles burrow from what i can tell (somewhat like the equally annoying Oriental beetles... which the chickens love, but that also is a detriment to the plants) on a happier note, NH has put Norway Maple on the noxious plant list. they will be completely banned by 2007 :) lee

[Cheryl Isaak]

My neighbor and I tried that; the beetles are easy, but the larvae just can't be picked up easily!

And thank goodness for that!

Cheryl

[Ann]

enigma expounded:

Oh, that would be fun! :o)

Chickens are next year, I've got to get the backyard in order before I can get my girls. Although as you indicated, I won't be letting them run wild in the flowers!

They're horrible trees, I'm surrounded by them, they were here when I got here, I've cut down three, and pulled hundreds of seedlings! There's a big one on my property line I'm working on the neighbors to cut down (it'll fall in their yard, it's a leaner). Someday.....