Scarlet Lily Beelte

You may know about the dreaded scarlet lily beetle. But did you know they are also dreaded scarlet fritillaria beetles? I’m afraid it’s true. However, if you have some fritillaria you can use them to identitfy the earliest scarlet beetles and destroy them.

We find that the most useful pest management for scarlet lily beetles is a daily hunt and squishing of the eggs, larvae, and beetles when present. The scarlet lily beetle has a lifecycle of about 4-6 weeks.

The eggs are tiny, but they are bright orange and laid in clusters, usually on the underside of leaves. The larvae are short and squat and they collect their own feces on their backs to dissuade predators from eating them. It works. The beetles are a bright red color, about the side of a lightning bug- but completely bright red. We hunt and squish all three. Sqeamish gardeners might want gloves. I just go after them as I seem and wash my hands afterwards.

Researchers are working on a parasitic wasp to prey upon the scarlet lily beetle, but it is not widely available yet. Test populations show it is working.