The worst thing about lily beetles aren't the ones you have in your own garden, it's the ones your neighbours have
in theirs, as most people unfortunately just give up on them. I did this myself the first time I experienced them, so I know what I'm talking about
This keeps a steady supply of beetles flying to your garden regardless of how diligent you are at squashing them yourself. This is especially bad as these beetles often are late arrivals and it's much harder to find beetles in the summer than in spring. In the summer they are often under the leaves laying eggs and enjoying some shade from the sun, but in spring they are really easy to spot as they are almost always 'sunbathing' at the tops.
I'd highly recommend planting a few bulbs of
Fritillaria imperialis to anyone having a problem with the lily beetle (and who desires a non poison approach) as this most probably will attract a majority of the beetles during spring and that will allow for easy picking
. It will also keep the foliage of your lilies looking more pristine. Of course this only works in spring as
Fritillaria imperialis goes dormant quite early.
I'd also recommend to be especially careful about examining the cultivar 'Lankon' as that one also is a real magnet for the beetles. Overall I have a suspicion that anything with
L. longiflorum in its 'blood' is especially attractive to the beetle. Of course if you have enough beetles they and the larvae will devour anything, but they still do seem to have favourites.
