Moths are out of control.

[ProfessorM]

Originally Posted by PRBuzz

The Shultz's Houseplant&Garden Inspect spray (all natural pyrethrins from mums) kills them buggers dead, but repeated applications necessary to keep them away. After eating the bloom they strip the leaves, leaving a dead stalk.

thanks for the info. My problem is I forget to do it. At this stage of gardening I have pretty much eliminated most plants that need lots of attention as my time is too limited and most of that is taken up by fruits and veggies and even they don't get the attention they need as fishing gets in the way. Some day I will have to revisit the Lilly's.

[FishermanTim]

The basic problem with the winter moths is that they thrive in colder weather, so nothing short of sub freezing temps will have any effect.

The lily beetle infestation had been tracked back to a Cambridge florist / horticulturalist that had received a shipment of asian lillies.
I don't know exactly HOW they were released into the wild, but I do know how they got here, and that we are screwed because of it.

I used to grow asian tiger lillies from bulb, and for the first 4-5 years they did fantastic. Then the beetles came and killed them off one by one. I have one of the originals left, and I'll wait and see if it survived last years attacks. I am impressed by this lone survivor's height. It has been topping 6 feet for the past 3 years with over a half dozen VERY aromatic flowers.

The only reason this plant has lasted so long is because EVERY morning during the spring I go out and check for beetles. I kill all I find and destroy any eggs or hatched larvae.
The larvae are quite disgusting, as they cover themselves with their own feces, making them safe from predators. Really nasty and messy to kill.

[eastendlu]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

The basic problem with the winter moths is that they thrive in colder weather, so nothing short of sub freezing temps will have any effect.

The lily beetle infestation had been tracked back to a Cambridge florist / horticulturalist that had received a shipment of asian lillies.
I don't know exactly HOW they were released into the wild, but I do know how they got here, and that we are screwed because of it.

I used to grow asian tiger lillies from bulb, and for the first 4-5 years they did fantastic. Then the beetles came and killed them off one by one. I have one of the originals left, and I'll wait and see if it survived last years attacks. I am impressed by this lone survivor's height. It has been topping 6 feet for the past 3 years with over a half dozen VERY aromatic flowers.

The only reason this plant has lasted so long is because EVERY morning during the spring I go out and check for beetles. I kill all I find and destroy any eggs or hatched larvae.
The larvae are quite disgusting, as they cover themselves with their own feces, making them safe from predators. Really nasty and messy to kill.

Sorta like politicians.

[Back Beach]

If anyone has a tree or trees that are of value, I recommend contacting your local arborist and scheduling a treatment. Winter moths can do some serious damage.

[Higgie]

The best way to minimize the populations is to target the eggs and larvae in the spring/early summer months as when they hatch they strip the oaks of their leaves. While in college i worked with a professor doing research on introducing other insects into the area that either eat or attack the moths which then become ill and die off. Such things are being for other problematic insects like the japanese beetle, asiatic garden beetle and other white grub species where nematodes attack them in the grub stage and infect them.

My thought is that there must be a way to push the moths life cycle forward so that they eat the leaves around October so then we'd have less leaves to clean up. ha ha