Lily Leaf Beetle

Description:

Bright red with black legs, head and antenna.

Habitat:

Lives on Lily plants. Orange eggs are laid on the under-side of leaves. The little larvae eat holes in the leaves and cover themselves in their own feces. Larva pupate in the soil beneath the host plant for 20 - 22 days. Then they come up and eat more of the plant before hibernating in the soil until spring.

Notes:

I have a love/hate relationship with these guys. Some years I save the lilys and others, I let the beetles have them. There were no beetles this year, so I had lilys!