throwing in the trowel

Again this year, the red menace has struck in force - scarlet lily beetles, to be precise.

I fought them in the last few years by hand picking and drowning in soapy water every day.
Last year I added coffee grounds to my arsenal, and it seemed to work for a while.  But when I went on vacation, the beetles took over and the lilies were chewed, pooped on, and destroyed in an ugly way. 

So I have given up, thrown in the trowel, so to speak.  With great sorrow, I pulled out every one of my beautiful lilies.  I had creamy orange asiatics, martagon, strongly scented orientals.  Now I have two wheelbarrows full of dead stalks.  I'm afraid it's the only way to convince the bugs to find another home.  Because now they are moving on the the fritillaria. 

The leaves are chewed, and there are holes in the flowers.  But because the plants will fade and disappear in a few weeks, I'm letting them stay.