I know how to kill lilly beetles

[inbox282]

Ok, I figured it out!!

I combined Water, Vinegar, and dish soap and preyed it on them, but it didn't do anything. But then....I saw info about this Neem oil. That made me think. Is there a difference between Neem oil and regular oil? And there it was. I added oil to my existing mixture and sprayed it on them.

They are dead!!!!!

This kills them in minutes!!!!

I went out and sprayed it on all my flowers and that was all it took. I checked back every day and nothing. But, a couple weeks later I started to see a couple. I sprayed again. You can actually watch them die. Their antenna sticks together and they walk like they are drunk, tripping and falling. Eventually they just die. I know it sounds evil but if you have these darn things eating your flowers you will understand, it's a great feeling.

I keep checking because I don't know how long this will last. I don't even know if they will come back next year. I just know that it worked for now and that's all I care about.

Please note!!!! Don't try using this on roses. oops!!

Also, I don't measure how much of each ingredient, just make sure you use a very good amount of oil. I don't even know if you need the vinegar but I figure, if it ain't broken....don't try to fix it. I use canola oil, not sure if any other oils will work.

Please let me know if this works for anyone else.

[inbox282]

Just went to check my lillies. I hadn't sprayed in a couple weeks. I had a ton of them, I guess they are from the eggs that the last ones laid.

I guess I will need to spray every couple days so that I get the new generation killed off.

I am happy because my lilies are looking less eaten.

I try to spray one by one when I see them because they walk around aimlessly and fall leaf to leave so I follow them and keep spraying. I find that when you start spraying low in the garden they will start to climb the plants to get away from it, then you can see them. I also noticed that if you leave the spray mixed in a container too long it seems that the oil breaks down and doesn't kill them as fast.

Just so you know, I know very little about plants so if please do this at your own risk. The only bad effect I have seen is that roses don't like the oil, not too sure about other plants.

[Dumbo]

Yup, A dash of oil will help the solution adhere (maybe) to the wax on leafs. Where-as water alone will be repelled by the leaf wax.

It's almost the same with some types of bugs. Some have a wax on their outer shell which helps protect them. Maybe the oil helps with adhesion power, and/or strips this protective wax off the bugs shell, thus killing them.

Normally you don't put oil because you want the soap solution to easily come off the plant in question. With oil, you caaan strip the wax on a leaf, or the oil can linger on the leaf, thus killing it. So best to try it on a few spots before doing a whole plant.

Soaps like this are meant to kill bugs on contact (ie. when sprayed) and not linger on the plant. So in a lot of cases it's best to wash this off the plant by giving the plant a shower after application, if it's a fragile plant.

I also noticed that if you leave the spray mixed in a container too long it seems that the oil breaks down and doesn't kill them as fast.

What's going on is the separation of two liquids that are immiscible. Commercial stuff will be an emulsion (stuff added to keep the oil from floating to the top and separating out of solution). Just shake it good between sprays, or after it sits a couple of days. Or add one drop of soap if maybe you put too much oil.

EDIT:
I can see the oil mixture being a bit more effective on eggs under leafs than water alone.

[Eeyore]

I know that the instructions for Neem say you need to mix fresh each time for it to be effective. I imagine any fine oil in your mixture should work. A light cooking oil would probably be safest to use.

[jrmtl]

I just wanted to say that these red pests destroyed most of my lillies

Is there anything definitive that may even kill the eggs as they come back year after year?

Thanks

[Eeyore]

No, unfortunately not.