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tarisaline

Little green worms eating my roses

tarisaline
16 years ago

This is the third year that my roses have been defoliated! I have tried everything short of explosives and I need help. These worms range from barely visible to a half inch long and are a bright green. Anyone have any suggestions????

Comments (6)

  • tyler_23
    16 years ago

    Are they about a cm long growing to about an inch long? If they are I had them on my roses this summer too. I don't know what they are called but they put lots of holes in leaf and flower. I hand-picked them off along with the Japanese beetles. I also happened to have rust, mildew,black spot and a lot of aphids all at the same time. I used a Safer's 3 in 1 pesticide, fungicide and (???icide) and in about two weeks the roses were very happy and very healthy. I don't know of any organic controls for the worms. Seems the season is nearly over so maybe mother nature will take care of your problem. Zone 4 has got to be cold by now.
    Cheers,
    Tyler.

  • lmv67
    16 years ago

    I think they're called sawfly larvae, and there's probably some spray you could use (they're soft bodied so maybe insectidal soap would work?)...but I always just spend a day in spring, picking the darn things off the rosebuds & squishing them dead while muttering imprecations, lol. Works for me!

  • myramol
    15 years ago

    they sound like the same little green worms that i have on my westeria plants, they bed themselves between to leafs and feed on the leaf.. and get big and fat.. about an inch i'd say.. they are a bright green with black heads... there are also wasp and or hornets searching for these little green critters... once the bee gets ahold of it it bites it head off and eats the body... I couldn't believe this when my husband told me what they were doing until he showed me. I was swating the bees away, but now that I know what they are doing on my plants I just let the bees take care of the worms... strange as it sounds...

  • carolynjohnson_live_com
    12 years ago

    the little green worms are driving me nuts, i love roses and planted some 3 years ago , but these little green worms are eating them up i have tryed everything, from putting prosin on them to picking them off,and they still on them ,any ideals

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    12 years ago

    Identical

    Here is a link that might be useful: discussion

  • thistle
    12 years ago

    Bacillicus Thuringenus (B.T.) kills the Sawfly Larvae on Roses.I have used it for Years with great success.

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