callmemadam (callmemadam) wrote,
callmemadam
callmemadam
  • Mood: murderous
  • Music: The Dambusters

Know the enemy

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.
Tags: gardening, lilies, lily beetles
Subscribe

  • This Golden Fleece, Esther Rutter

    I greatly admire Esther Rutter’s knitting skills. I certainly couldn’t knit the cabled front of a cricket sweater while watching a cricket match…

  • Nostalgia with ‘The Button Box’ by Lynn Knight

    How clever an idea is this? In The Button Box: Lifting the Lid on Women’s Lives Lynn Knight, beginning with her Grandma’s button box, describes…

  • Outlander socks

    I decided I ought to rename these socks because so much of the knitting was done watching the preposterous Outlander. I’ve now seen the first…

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    switch
    default userpic

    Your reply will be screened

    Your IP address will be recorded 

    When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed.
    You must follow the Privacy Policy and Google Terms of use.
    Help
  • 0 comments