I'll start.

i keep hearing about the dreaded lily beetle and the significant damage it does.

Please tell me all you know about the lily beetle, and control of.

I know they must be nearby, as a friend in Rochester has had them, and they have been in MA, and we're in between. I have hundreds of lilies and have never seen them. I am a commercial iris grower, and spray the beds, which the lilies are also in for thrips to be sure the irises don't get thrips (common in beardless irises). Could this be keeping the lily beetles at bay?

Thanks

Hi Polly
Your ground spraying may be the secret. I left a few WhiteHenriis at my old house and the beetles devoured them
The new owners are kids and didnt know what to do.
I believe they are more wide spread in NYState than anyone knows.
Last spring on the Lily Forum someone posted what she did to controle them
She had entemological language but the gist of it was logical.
She sprayes in early spring just as the pinapple tops peek out of the soil. I believe she used Bayer product. I used Sevin and sprayed the emerging lily and the ground around it.When the plants were 24 inches hi I sprayed again and did this weekly all summer.
In mid summer I sprayed plant and ground because the LilyForum person said the beetle is a 2 phase insect and it lays eggs twice in one season. The Larve live 1/2 inch below the soil.
I had very little damage.

Thank you for the info, Jo Ann.

I was so busy with the irises last year, I might not have noticed if there was some minor damage to the lilies, but will check this year. Maybe the spray for the irises is doing it then.

good info.. thanks!!.. I haven't seen them here yet either.. but I am guessing it's just a matter of time

Mainiac is very well versed on the lily beetle. Hopefully she will too help us with her useful information here. I have heard that it is an awful pesky little thing Hopefully that won't ever show up here. The Japanese beetles do enough damage.