Invaders from central europe, China, and Northern India, these little red beetles are the bane of Lily's and Fritillaria (snakes head being my favourite) alike. 

Bright red, 6-8mm long with black legs and head they can be confused with the Cardinal beetle who are carnivorous and not only innocent but actually help with pest control, the most obvious difference between them is that the Cardinal beetle is much larger and has a longer body do make sure it's not a case of mistaken identity! 

A Lily Beetle will generally be obvious as it will be in or around your lilies.

The Lily beetle is a relatively new arrival to Ireland, the first recorded spotting in the north being in Belfast in 2002 and the south being Cork in 2009. It is presumed that they came in via plants shipped in from mainland Europe Since then however they have been happily multiplying on our precious Lilies and making a very happy home for themselves.

It is worth keeping an eye out for them when you are buying lilies from any shop or garden centre  and if you do see them immediately let staff know.

There is still a need to record where they are so should you be unfortunate enough to spot them please take a minute to record your find at     records.biodiversityireland.ie 

The Damage. 

The adult beetle will go for flower buds leaving holes in your petals as well as indiscriminately munching through leaves. The larvae and grubs will eat the underside of leaves leaving brown discoloured patches. 

Defense.

The grubs will actually cover themselves in their own excrement to hide themselves and make them less appealing to predators (birds, ground beetles). 

The adult beetles as well as being a stop sign red colour can actually squeak or chirp when threatened which if you capture one and listen closely you can hear!

How can we be rid of them?

Firstly as always there are non chemical methods.

Trusty coffee grinds, the higher the caffeine the better placed around the plant does seem to discourage them. 

Once spotted if you go out early in the morning, they're sluggish first thing (excuse the pun), with a piece of paper held under the plant you can knock the beetles off and crush them. Beware I mention the paper as these clever critters will not only drop and play dead but also flip themselves onto their backs so that their black underside is invisible in the soil. By doing this early enough in the year you can break their lifecycle and avoid an infestation.

The larvae can be wiped/picked off and destroyed.