How to stop lilly pilly beetle attack on large hedge?

[Invermay]

My lilly pilly hedge is approx 17m x 1 5m h x 1m w so spraying it and trying to do both sides of leaves is impossible ( I think) Will these leaf chompers kill my hedge eventually? Any use just spaying on side ?

 

[Jason]

Hi @Invermay,

Welcome to Bunnings Workshop and apologies for the slow reply. We're pleased to have you join the community and hope you get plenty of help and inspiration for all your projects around the house and garden from our wonderful members.

Experienced member @Noelle wrote the guide How to diagnose and revive a sick lilly pilly for the Workshop community as they are such common plants for our community members to plant in their gardens. Hopefully Noelle might have some advice about how to combat the beetle attack on your large hedge.

Thanks,

Jason

[Noelle]

Hi @Invermay 

The damage looks a lot worse than it really is, as the adult beetles are not around for all that long normally - just a few weeks. Certainly in that time quite a lot of leaves can be chewed but the damage isn't severe enough to impact on the overall health and lifespan of the trees.

The lilly pilly beetle looks a little like a green ladybird. Until the fairly recent resurgence in popularity of lilly pillies and the introduction of so many new and attractive varieties, it hasn't really posed much of a threat. However, it has increased both in population size and spread from small pockets in Queensland down into northern NSW.  It is still not considered a major pest.

Currently there are no treatments listed for it - that is, this pest is not included on the labels of most common garden insecticides or natural remedies, so we cannot really recommend anything specific to spray. It has been suggested that neem oil and / or an eco oil could be helpful but neither has been trialled here. Unless the damage is so bad all the foliage is looking quite skeletonised, my advice would be to sit it out.

[Invermay]

Thanks Noelle, 

That's been very reassuring and helpful!

Cheers

David ( invermay)

[nickonumberone]

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/t5/How-To/How-to-diagnose-and-revive-a-sick-lilly-pilly/bc-p/20...

We’re under attack again so I’m going to try Pest oil (only because I had a bottle handy) and just douse the trees again. This is the same hedge as in the link. 

[EricL]

Hello @nickonumberone 

If this is the same beetle that Noelle has been referring to in this discussion, then I'm afraid there is not much we can do at the moment. But you can give pest oil a go as it might work on the current beetles that you have. Just keep in mind that there has been no testing done so I can't say for certain that it will work. However, if this is another type of beetle, you'll need to get a good picture of it so that it can be identified. We can then recommend a chemical spray that might control it. 

Eric

[nickonumberone]

Hi Eric, yes this is the Lilly pilly beetle. The little green one that’s similar to a lady bug perhaps a tiny bit 

[EricL]

Hi @nickonumberone 

Thank you for the confirmation, I can only suggest what Noelle has suggested in her last post and that is to sit it out. Hopefully the infestation will not last long and the beetles will leave on their own.

Eric