Almost daily we get questions from customers about the Lily Beetle. Usually the question is; are there also Lilies that are not affected by the Lily Beetle?

The answer is Yes and No. There are certainly Lilies that are less sensitive to the feeding of this beautiful red beetle and its larvae. Lilies from the group of OT hybrids are a lot stronger and are affected to a much lesser extent.

OT lilies are lilies that have emerged from crosses between Oriental lilies and Trumpet lilies. They are lilies with the elegant flower shape of the Oriental and the strength of the old-fashioned Trumpet lilies such as African Queen and Golden Splendour .

The Lily Beetle can be found on these OT Lilies, but the leaves are too tough for the Lily Beetle to really cause major damage. You will certainly find a hole here and there in the leaves, but rarely will the Lily Beetle completely destroy the plant of the OT Lily, which can happen with other Lilies.

A common misunderstanding is that most people think that the lily beetle, the red beetle, is the culprit. However, it is her larvae that cause the most damage.

They are sometimes difficult to see, especially in the beginning they are hard to find. They sit as black sludge on the underside of the leaves. This sludge that you see is the excrement of the caterpillar that is in the middle of the sludge. In case of a heavy infestation you will see plenty of these black heaps of sludge.

It sounds very unpleasant, but you have to squeeze these black goops, with the larvae of the Lily Beetle in the middle, to stop the feeding.

Under the Lilies category on the Fluwel website you will find a link to a page where all the OT Lilies we offer are listed separately.

Kind regards,

Carlos van der Veek