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Lilies are gardeners' favorite perennials. After all, with the right variety chosen, the plant does not cause much trouble and at the same time pleases with abundant flowering every year. However, lilies need protection from pests, since many of them are attracted to the succulent bulbs and young leaves of the plant. Therefore, it is recommended to treat the perennial in the spring, as soon as the sprouts appear. After all, lily pests also become more active after winter with the arrival of stable warm weather and are capable of causing serious damage to the plant.
When lilies are damaged by pests, they are not able to fully develop
Pests of lilies and their control
It has been noticed that this perennial rarely suffers from diseases with proper care, but at the same time it is attacked by pests every year. Moreover, there are a large number of parasites that can cause the death of garden lilies. Therefore, it is worth familiarizing yourself in more detail with common perennial pests in order to be able to promptly recognize warning signs.
Lily fly
This is a small flying insect whose larvae overwinter in the soil. The lily fly becomes active during the formation of buds on the perennial. She makes a puncture in them and lays eggs. Subsequently, the larvae eat away the pistils and stamens. Flowers, even if they bloom, look ugly. But in most cases, the affected buds rot inside.
This pest is considered one of the most insidious. It is almost impossible to distinguish adult flies from ordinary flies. Given favorable conditions, the pest multiplies quickly, which leads to its widespread spread. You can fight it only in the spring, when the larvae still remain motionless in the ground.
Early varieties of lilies are more affected by the lily fly
Wireworm
This pest is the larva of the click beetle. It lives in the ground and causes damage to lily bulbs. Insufficient weeding, stagnation of moisture in the soil, and increased soil acidity can provoke the appearance of a pest in perennial plantings.
With the arrival of spring warmth, the pest’s life cycle resumes. Adults emerge from the soil and begin to fly. They are active in dry weather, namely during the hottest hours of the day. In the evening and at night they prefer to sit under the leaves of plants.
In late spring and early summer, females lay eggs at the base of lilies in the top layer of soil. A month later, larvae appear from them, the main condition for this is increased soil moisture. In dry soil, the eggs of the click beetle die. The wireworm resembles a worm in appearance, and its body is covered with a hard, shiny shell. The length of the pest varies between 1-4.5 cm, and the color varies from light to dark brown depending on its age.The lifespan of the larvae can reach three years. After this, it pupates and then develops into an adult.
The wireworm makes passages in the lily bulbs, which leads to their rotting. As a result, the plant dies.
The smell of marigolds repels wireworms
Bulbous hoverfly
An adult pest is a fly whose body length reaches 8 mm. The insect is bronze-green in color with a metallic tint. A distinctive feature of the bulbous hoverfly is the light crescent-shaped stripes in three rows, which are clearly visible on the dark abdomen.
The pest lays eggs in the top layer of soil, and in the spring, yellowish or greenish worm larvae emerge from them. They can be recognized by three processes in the back: the central one is red-brown, the side ones are light. The larvae of the hoverfly eat into lily bulbs most often through the bottom and feed on the succulent tissues. As a result, the perennial tuber loses functionality and rots.
The bulbous hoverfly overwinters in the larval stage
Aphid
This sucking pest affects not only lilies, but also many garden crops. Aphids are small insects whose body length reaches 2-4 mm. The insect that attacks lilies may be green or black. The pest, being a phytophage, is equipped with a special proboscis that pierces the leaves and shoots of the plant.
Aphids have a high level of fertility. Given favorable conditions, it quickly creates a colony. The pest feeds on the juice of young lily leaves. This leads to their deformation and disruption of metabolic processes in plant tissues. Aphids can be found on the back of leaves and on the tops of shoots.During mass reproduction, sticky drops appear on the plates, which is a product of their vital activity. Ants feeding on its copper dew contribute to the spread of the pest in the garden.
Aphids are carriers of viral diseases
Spider mite
This lily pest is difficult to detect early on due to its small size. Only later, during mass reproduction, can signs of spider mites on lilies be detected. The pest feeds on the cell sap of young leaves. As a result, small light dots appear along the edge of the plates, as well as a small cobweb at the top of the stem.
The affected lily has a dejected appearance, its growth slows down, leaves and buds are deformed, which leads to a decrease in decorativeness. Dry, hot weather and a long absence of watering or rain contribute to the appearance of spider mites on lilies.
Spider mite eggs remain viable in the soil for up to five years
Onion root mite
This pest lives in the soil, its body size does not exceed 1 mm. It feeds on healthy tissues of lily bulbs and other garden plants. Root mite is moisture-loving. Damage to perennials is caused by larvae and adults of the pest.
When a lily bulb is damaged, the bottom gradually wears away, turns into dust, and then falls off. This leads to the fact that the plant is not able to grow roots, and therefore nourish the above-ground part. Also, when affected, the primordia of peduncles and leaves are damaged. During mass reproduction, lily bulbs turn into a brown mass consisting of live mites, their larvae, eggs, excrement and skins. As a result, the plant dies.
Onion root mite causes itching when it comes into contact with human skin.
Lily beetle
This pest feeds on the aboveground parts of lilies. It is a fairly large insect, whose body length reaches 8 mm. The color of the pest is scarlet, but the head, limbs and mustache are black. Adults become active from mid-April, as soon as the perennial begins to grow. Their laying period lasts from May to early August. Eggs can be found on the underside of leaves. They are oblong in shape, bright orange in color, and arranged in irregular rows.
After seven days, the eggs hatch into larvae that feed on the leaves and stem bulbs of the lilies. They hide on the back of the plates. And adult lily beetles behave aggressively. They move throughout the plant and can often be found at the top of the stem. The larvae overwinter in the top layer of soil.
If you catch a lily beetle and squeeze it with your fingers, you can hear a cracking sound.
Medvedka
This is a large pest up to 5-6 cm long. It is a representative of the order Orthoptera, and its relatives are crickets, grasshoppers, and locusts. The mole cricket lives underground at a depth of 10-15 cm and is nocturnal. It is impossible to catch it, because it flies well, swims and quickly digs holes in the ground.
When looking at a mole cricket for the first time, many people have a feeling of disgust. Its abdomen is three times larger than its head, and at the end of the body there are two processes up to 1 cm long. On the head of the mole cricket there are bulging eyes, long mustaches, as well as an oral cavity and tentacles, like a crayfish. The pest has two pairs of limbs and long scaly wings, and its chest is covered with a hard shell. The mole cricket's body color is dark brown.
The life cycle of a mole cricket is 1.5-2 years.She prefers to settle in soils rich in humus. As soon as there is not enough organic matter in the soil, the pest switches to lily bulbs and plant roots.
The mole cricket becomes active in May, when mating season begins.
Khrushchev
This pest, also called the May beetle, can destroy up to 80% of lily plantings. Damage to perennials is caused by insect larvae, which live in the soil for three years until they turn into adults.
The massive summer of Khrushchev begins in May in the evening. The beetles feed on young tree leaves and young shoots. But significant damage to garden lilies is caused by the larvae of the pest. They are a large light-colored caterpillar with a black head, curled into a ring. The larvae feed on succulent bulbs. When damaged, the stem and leaves begin to wilt sharply, which creates the impression of a lack of moisture in the soil. But after watering the lilies, the turgor is not restored.
Khrushchev prefer to lay eggs in sandy soil
Slugs
This lily pest is nocturnal. Naked slugs feed on bulbs and young leaves of lilies. The lesion can be recognized by the characteristic shiny trail of mucus that they leave when moving. Round holes also appear on the leaves.
The slug's body length reaches 7 cm. Every day it absorbs much more food than its weight. The color of slugs that attack lilies can be gray, brown or beige. They produce large quantities of thick, transparent mucus.
Slugs hide in damp, dark places during the day
Thrips
There are many types of thrips in nature, but bulbous and heterovorous thrips are dangerous for lilies. The pest is flying and belongs to the order Fringed Pterus.
The body length of thrips does not exceed 3 mm. Oral apparatus of a sucking trip. Thrips feed on the juice of young leaves and shoots of lilies. The color of the pest can be brown or black. Damage to lilies is caused by both adults and larvae. The pest is capable of flying short distances. It has narrow wings with eyelash fringe.
When affected, light dots appear on the leaves of lilies at the places where the tissue is punctured. This leads to disruption of metabolic processes in them, which negatively affects the development of the entire plant.
In autumn, at a temperature of +10 °C, the pest descends along the stem into the top layer of soil and penetrates under the scales of the bulb. This leads to its drying out.
The waste product of thrips is sugary secretions.
Caterpillars
They attack lilies and caterpillars, which are the larvae of armyworms and foam moths. In this case, the perennial leaves become full of holes. Caterpillars can be green or brown in color. Their body length does not exceed 1.5 cm. Up to 2-3 generations of the pest may appear during the season. The larvae overwinter in the soil at a depth of 10-15 cm.
The body of caterpillars consists of a barely visible head, thoracic and abdominal sections, and several pairs of limbs. Outwardly they resemble worms. The head is located in the front. Antennae grow on the sides. The mouthparts are gnawing type. Most of the caterpillar's life is spent feeding.
Caterpillars can eat all lily leaves
How to protect lilies from pests
To protect garden lilies from pests, it is necessary to treat plants in the spring at the beginning of the growing season. In this case, it is recommended to use insectoacaricides. Moreover, it is necessary not only to spray, but also to water the lilies so that the overwintering larvae die while they remain motionless. The working solution must be prepared immediately before use.
To spray the above-ground parts of lilies, you can use Actellik, Fufanon, Fitoverm. It is recommended to water the plants with Aktara.
In the case of planting bulbs in a permanent place in the garden in the spring, it is recommended to pre-treat them with Prestige
These control measures are not suitable for wireworms, slugs and mole crickets. In the first case, it is necessary to add wood ash to the soil, which will reduce the acidity of the soil and make it impossible for the pest to remain in the soil. Also, to combat wireworms, you need to use drugs such as Thunder, Provotox. To protect lilies, it is recommended to make a 3 cm depression in the soil next to them and pour 3-4 granules of toxic bait into it.
Treatment cannot be carried out at temperatures above +25 °C, otherwise its effectiveness will decrease
Metaldehyde-based chemicals should be used against slugs. To combat them, you need to scatter granules on the lily plantings. It is also additionally necessary to sprinkle wood ash around the plants, since it corrodes the soles of the slugs. But the product only works on dry soil.
To protect lilies from mole crickets, it is necessary to use such products as Phenaxin, Medvedox, Boverin.The first two drugs are toxic granular bait, which must be placed at a depth of 2-3 cm every 70 cm. And the third drug is a suspension. It should be used to spray the stems and water the soil around the lilies.
Conclusion
Lily pests also plague other garden crops. Therefore, if you ignore measures to combat them at the initial stage of damage, you can end up with their mass dispersal throughout the entire area. And in this case, coping with the problem will be much more difficult. Therefore, experienced gardeners recommend treating lilies in the spring even in the absence of signs of pest activity for prevention purposes.
