  yesterday was the 1st official day of summer and we're all geared up for it! we bought a patio set, some flowers for my window boxes, cut the grass and cleaned the pool! but, if you looked outside right now, you would be somewhat disappointed...there is no sun in sight. last night we had some major thunderstorms. lots of loud thunderclaps, bright lightening. i'm hoping god is up there rounding up the sun warriors. maybe they have been slacking off, maybe they don't like to work as much as i do! i'm going to plant the flowers in my window boxes today no matter what.
i will set up a work area in the garage. i do not have a green thumb and am not related to martha stewart. the woman at the nursery was giving me instructions on how to pinch off the dead flowers so new ones will grow. i usually just plant the flowers and let them do what they do. let's hope they live for a little while at least :) as i was inspecting the plants and flowers that are growing in the yard, i noticed these bright red bugs on my lilies.
the only reason i know they are lilies is because a martha stewart-like person told me. otherwise, i would have told you they were pineapple trees. that is what they look like...the tops of pineapples. so, i go online and google "red bugs on lilies". turns out they are lily leaf beetles! here is a lovely description of them: "the adult beetle is bright scarlet red, with black legs, head, antennae and undersurface. it is 1/4" to 3/8" long and is a strong flyer. the beetle reportedly will squeak if squeezed gently (however, few gardeners are willing to be gentle to this beetle). the adult lays reddish-orange eggs which hatch into particularly unpleasant larvae, which look like 3/8" long slugs; colored orange, brown, yellow or green with black heads.
the larvae eventually become fluorescent orange pupae. " and their personal hygiene leaves something to be desired: while they feed, the lily leaf beetles cover their bodies with their own excrement (called a fecal shield), giving them a grotesque appearance. ewwww! the article stated that you could remove the insect and eggs by hand. i attempted to do this, with gloves of course, but i kept getting all squeamish. i knew i needed to bring the big guns in. off to the nursery to get some backup. i purchased a bottle of "sevin" which is supposed to kill the insect and the larvae.
let's hope it changes their lifecycle: "the adult beetle overwinters in the soil or plant debris and emerges in early spring looking for food and a mate. after mating, the female lays eggs in lines on the underside of lilium or fritillaria leaves. some damage is done by the adults at this time, but the major damage comes when the eggs hatch into larvae in 7-10 days.
the larvae voraciously consume all leaves within reach and may then start on flower buds. this continues for 2 to 3 weeks, when the larvae then drop into the soil and begin to pupate. in another 2 to 3 weeks the adult beetles emerge to start eating again. this process occurs from early spring to mid-summer. reportedly the beetles won't mate and lay eggs until the next spring. " it seems all they really do is mate and eat. some kind of life, huh? 
