Lily beetle attacking potato crops, says Apohaqui gardener

Petra Cripps's lilies are barely recognizable.

Amidsta lively garden, herlilies are lifeless brown stalks, dotted withRed Lily Beetles.

"This whole plant should be a lush green," said the Apohaqui gardener.

"This is decimated. This is not good."

Red Lily Beetles areknown for their voracious appetites, and Cripps said it took only two weeks for them to eat her lilies almost entirely. While it's only her first time dealing with the beetles in her garden, she hasjust about given up on growing the flower altogether.

"I know I don't sound very optimistic, but if you'reoverwhelmedby them, you're just going to have to go to another plant that doesn't have such a bug problem," she said.

"You have to be vigilant.You have to keep an eye on your plant everyday. If you want to do it the natural way without toxins, you have to go out and squish them."

Despite eliminatinglily bulbs from her garden, Cripps saidthese hungry beetleshave now turned to eating the leaves of her potato plants.

"I'm worried about next year because apparently these things lay a lot of eggs," she said.

Gardening guru Betty Kennett says the beetles arrived in parts of New Brunswick about seven years ago after being imported from Europe andtravelling fromQuebec andMaine.

Kennett said she has not heard of lily beetles eating potato plants, but she saidtheir appetite could evolve, especially if they're hungry.

"Their tastes change, unfortunately," said Kennett."The amount of things theyeat is alarming, so I'm hoping the lily beetlesdon't do more than they already do in the way of damage."

Searching for a solution

As for a simple, cheap solution,Kennett recommendedspraying the beetles with oneteaspoonofdishsoap for everylitre ofwater, with higher quantities of dishsoap for more "rampant" lots.

However, Bob Osbourne, owner of Corn Hill Nursery, saidsoaps may not be aseffective aspyrethrum, a natural insecticide extract fromChrysanthemum.

"What you're trying to do is mask the odour of the lily itself, which is attractive to the beetle,"saidOsbournewhofoundRed Lily Beetles in his flower nursery for the first time this year.

Cripps is still experimenting with home remedies, including an online recommendation of using essential oils.But in an attempt to stay away from toxic chemicals, she has simply been keeping a watchful eye, squashing any Red Lily Beetles she finds.