Return of the Lily Beetle

Red Lily Beetle, Liloceris lilii

A little later than last year, but the Red Lily Beetle (Liloceris lilii) has made an unwelcome return to the suburban garden in Cork city. Their vibrant red colour makes these beetles easy to see and therefore easy to pick off any lily (or fritillary) plants, but failure to control them will result in decimation of any host plants in a garden. So far, 6 individuals have been seen, far less than the near-infestation last year.

Update on the Red Lily Beetle: Infestation

An update on the Red Lily Beetle (Liloceris lilii) previously reported on in this blog. I sighted the beetle again in the same garden as before. However this time there was a veritable infestation. I removed 12 individuals alone from one lily plant. Many were engaged in mating, which is to be expected from them at this time of year. Below are examples of the beetles on the lily in question, and the damage done to the plant.

The First Record of the Red Lily Beetle in the Republic of Ireland?

Red Lili Beetle, Liloceris lilii

During a recent gardening spurt in Cork City, I discovered a red beetle, slowly making its way across the disturbed soil. Thinking it was a nice example of a Cardinal Beetle, I took a few photos and set the little chap on his way. However, later on when I viewed the photos in more detail, I realised it was not the a Cardinal Beetle at all: the elytra were too round and shiny. It turned out that I had happened upon a Red Lily Beetle (Liloceris lilii). This was not surprising at first as the bed in which I found the beetle had some of its favourite food of lilies growing in it.

And yet it was surprising in another way because (as far as I can make out) there has been no recorded sighting of L. lilii in the Republic of Ireland. Anderson (1) states that the first recorded sighting of L. lilii on the island of Ireland was in a garden in Belfast in 2002. Furthermore, he states on the habitas.org website (2) that no recorded sightings of L. lilii in the Republic exist, however it is more than likely to be present.

L. lilii is distributed throughout Europe where it feeds on lilies and fritillaries, often doing considerable damage, especially in Britain and Holland (3). Overwintering adults emerge from overwintering to feed on emergent lilies. Eggs are layed on the underside of leaves in April, with larvae pupating to emerge in early summer when they too feed on lilies.

References:

1. Anderson and Bell 2002, Coleopterist 11 p. 90
2. http://www.habitas.org.uk/invasive/species.asp?item=11116
3. Kenis et al. 2003 1st International Symposium on Biological Control of Arthropods 1pp. 416-419