Firstly as a gardener I live with the certain knowledge that the beasties in the garden, be they marauding molluscs or evil weevils are all after my plants. Secondly I also know that these are discerning creatures often dining out on your most valuable plants, not just those that are expensive but those that are rare or irreplaceable for sentimental reasons.

So it was with some dismay when revisiting a garden this week that this sight befell us….

It was with a sinking heart I went in for a closer inspection, for there, as expected in glorious technicolour was the culprit

These beetles have strict dietary requirements namely the Liliaceae lovingly planted by you or I and in the case of this week’s sighting they seem inordinately fond of Martagon Lillies.

The adults are very bright and fairly easy to spot, however, not relying solely on their bright red colouring to act as a warning to predators they have a cunning survival trick up their sleeves. If you attempt to pick them off the Lilly they cast themselves to the ground and land on their backs, as their underside is black it makes spotting them nigh on impossible. So a little trick is to place a sheet of newspaper beneath the plant as it makes collecting up and dispatching the beetles much easier.

Next turn all the leaves over to remove the eggs, because if you’ve got the adults at this time of year the chances are high you’ll also have their eggs.

*I apologise for the quality of the following photographs but it was a blowy day and I only had my phone with me*

The eggs are this orangey colour however as they age they become darker. They are quite easy to remove by gently rubbing off the surface of the leaf, and then rubbing finger and thumb together.

Now for those of you wondering if I have landed a staring role in “Smurf – The Musical” the reason for the latex gloves is not because the eggs are likely to cause a reaction, they were just in case I came across any Larvae. To reduce the chances of predation at the laval stage these beetle larva have come up with an ingenious and completely repulsive way of protecting themselves, they camouflage themselves in their own excrement – and yes I am pulling a face as I type that**.

Its a mucky job picking them off, hence the gloves. Now if you don’t want to spend your day grooming your lillies like a monkey bonding with its troupe, I find it rather satisfying in a “take that you _______”(insert own expletive here) sort of a way. However I do understand this control method isn’t for everybody so I suggest you have a look on the RHS website for a list of controls.

The RHS are also asking anybody with these particular garden nasties to help with a survey – should you feel so inclined.

**happily for all concerned no excrement covered larvae were discovered