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weeper_11

Bugs and more bugs in the roses...

weeper_11
10 years ago

I had a spider mite infestation in my Emily Carr and Morden Blush roses last year..I noticed it too late, and I couldn't get rid of it before winter. This spring I noticed they had over wintered, so I cut the roses fairly short and blasted them with water for 4-5 days in a row. That seemed to do the trick..no spider mites since then.

Now I notice that those same 3 roses(planted together) have some gross creamy colored little caterpillar that is leaf rolling near the buds in particular and putting holes in the leaves as well. There also seems to be some sort of black specks/dirt-like matter left wherever the worms go...not sure if that is eggs or poop, or what. So I went out and trimmed out all the affected leaves and put them all in a tightly tied plastic bag to be burned.

THEN I decided I had better check my other roses. My Prairie Peace, which is always problem free, has quite a few of what I believe are rose weevils - a yucky dark red beetle that is hanging out on the buds drilling holes. So I'll have to go back out and hand pick/bag those as well, as well as the damaged buds. SIIIIIIGGGGHHHH...

I have lots of spiders and lady bugs, but apparently I have lots of other stuff too! Yuck.

Comments (14)

  • northspruce
    10 years ago

    Safers Soap works well for me on roses. I really need to get it out and start preventative measures... I found a caterpillar on Double Delight tonight. I need to get spraying the delphiniums too, they're always the worst for sawfly larvae and they work fast. Sometimes they've eaten the whole year's buds before I even notice them.

    The black stuff would be poop.

  • northernmn
    10 years ago

    I'm pretty sure the black specks are caterpillar poop.

    I was having problems with leaf rollers on my fruit trees. Also some blotches of fungus because of all of the rainy weather.

    I sprayed with Spectracide Imiden Plus and it has eliminated the leaf rollers and stopped the fungus and powdery mildew.

  • ostrich
    10 years ago

    Ouch! I so feel for you.... these bugs and things are so annoying!!! You wait for a whole year for just a couple of months of these gorgeous things to bloom and then these bugs are going to ruin them... YIKES!

    I got some Safers Soap spray for my roses too. I thought that it would only work when you spray the insect, but it does not have any residual effect on the plants after you spray them? Can I spray the entire rose plant and prevent bugs from attacking them???

  • donna_in_sask
    10 years ago

    Check out rose slugs (aka sawflies) to see whether these are the bad guys. They make a mess of some of my rose bushes every year.

  • weeper_11
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Nope, Donna, not a rose slug. Though I have had those in years past! This worm is shorter, fatter, and more cream colored. And it doesn't leave those trails in the leaves, it just chomps little holes and rolls the leaves. In each rolled leaf, there is a yucky worm! I trimmed out all that I could find yesterday, today I need to get at those beetles before it rains.

  • Ginny McLean_Petite_Garden
    10 years ago

    Katie, I came across this site one day last week while looking for something else. Maybe what's bugging your roses?

    Ginny

    http://torontogardens.blogspot.ca/2009/06/hey-rose-whats-eating-you.html

  • CLBlakey
    10 years ago

    Ginny your link was broken here is the fix

    Here is a link that might be useful: Rose bugs

  • Ginny McLean_Petite_Garden
    10 years ago

    Thanks Cindy. :)

  • weeper_11
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Ginny, yes that creamy leaf-roller looks like exactly what is in my roses. Thanks for the link! Barfedy-barf barf! I am so not a squisher, unless it is something little and relatively fluid-free like an aphid. Those worms? No way. I am however a big believer in hand-picking. I just burn them instead of squishing.

    I'm not against using chemical sprays; a few times in the past they have done the trick and prevented nasty things like spider mites from spreading. BUT. I'm trying much harder to avoid spraying now, 1) because of pregnancy..no matter how calm it is, I always seem to get a bit of spray flavor in my mouth. I'm sure that's healthy... 2) Some of the sprays seem to weaken the plants so much, that I almost always seem to get something even worse that moves in after I spray 3) Sometimes the spray doesn't quite finish the job, the bug repopulates, and then you are truly screwed because your plant is weakened and you got rid of your beneficial bugs. Definitely a last resort for me.

    So a handpicking I go! Those rose weevils are annoying..at the slightest brush they fall to the ground, making it hard to find them if you didn't have something under the branch to catch them. That, and the roses also have plenty of revolting spiders camped out on the buds, which for a person with arachnophobia like me, makes for some very ginger picking.

    There also seems to be some black splotches on quite a few of the buds..like at least half. I'm not sure if I should cut them all out, or if some dark spots are normal or caused by water or something else..hmm..I hope I don't have to cut them out, because Prairie Peace is a heavy bloomer and that will take forever!

  • Ginny McLean_Petite_Garden
    10 years ago

    You crack me up, Katie! Lol! But your humour is based on sound principles and safety. Hand picking can at least be done with rubber gloves. :) You get em, girl! Best learn to accept those 8 leggers as you will soon enough be teaching a brand new little soul. :) So glad the link helped.

    Have to have one of our rose experts chime in about the black spot. :)

    Ginny

  • northspruce
    10 years ago

    Ostrich, yes the soap will deter further attack until it rains. Then you have to apply more.

  • ostrich
    10 years ago

    Thanks, northspruce! That is great to know. Thanks!!!

  • donna_in_sask
    10 years ago

    weeper,

    I am squeamish about squashing those caterpillars too! I don't know what came over me, but last week I deliberately squeezed the growing tip of a delphinium, knowing full-well that housed in that curled up bud was a delphinium worm.

    Well, it made a sort of wet, squelching sound and rather than being a satisfying thing to do...it gave me the heebie jeebies..so gross.

    Maybe I can get one of the kids to do the dirty deed next time. My daughter called them jelly bugs when she was little.

    Btw, those dark spots...maybe a round of fungicide is in order? Do you have issues with Black Spot in your yard?

  • weeper_11
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    No, the only rose I ever got blackspot on was my Persian Yellow, and I pulled that out this spring. My Prairie Peace rose, in particular(which is the one with the black spots), never ever gets disease. And bugs don't really put a dint in it either...
    So I'm wondering if those rose weevils have just done more damage than I would like, and I'll have to prune out all those buds. I don't want an even worse infestation next year!

    Hahaha, "jelly bugs"...excuse me while I barf! I do occasionally find my courage bolstered by my utter aggravation at the damage bugs do. You're a real hero, Donna, squishing that bug, doing it despite the fear. That's what bravery is all about. ;)

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