Witness here the final moment of a pretty but destructive Lily Leaf Beetle (Lilioceris lilii), an imported pest now chewing holes in your leaves and buds — and not only of lilies. [Update: What I should have said, two years ago now, was that although it likes lilies best, the lily leaf beetle will nibble anything in the lily family. This includes lily of the valley and hostas! Good thing they’re so colourful.]

The best way to deal with this pest is to simply pick and squish. Squish hard, as they’re resilient bug-ers.

Look out for the even more destructive larvae, too, which I learned from this fact sheet from the University of Guelph Pest Diagnostic Clinic, like to hide in leaf axils by encasing themselves in excrement. Charming.

Note that the U of G fact sheet mentions some chemical controls that are now banned in Ontario. Pick and squish, my friends, pick and squish.