SolveYourProblem
Roses Article Series
10
Insects and Pests To Roses
If you are having problems with your roses,
insects may be responsible. They can do a lot of damage if
you do nothing to chase them away. Here is an overview of ten
creepy crawly enemies of roses and some ways to identify them.
1. Aphids
Aphids are the most frequent problem pests. They like to make
themselves at home in the growing tissue of roses (buds and
shoots). Low or even moderate levels of aphids will pose little
threat to your roses, though you will need to keep a close
eye on how they spread. High numbers of aphids produce an excess
of honeydew, which will encourage the growth of mold and they
will eventually blacken the rose leaves. If you have very high
numbers of aphids, the size of the flowers may diminish and
buds may be killed. There are some natural enemies to these
pests, including lady beetles and syrphid flies. The creatures
will help keep the population growth under control. You can
try removing them from the roses with a spray of water or with
insecticidal soaps. Aphids are usually only a problem during
the spring and early summer and usually you do not have to
resort to insecticides to control them.
2. Spider Mites
If your rose leaves are stippled or dried up and falling off,
then spider mites may be the problem. Spider mites are so tiny
that you will probably need a magnifying glass to spot them.
Their presence is usually the result of dry, dusty conditions.
You can try to control spider mites by reducing dust and ensuring
that your plant has sufficient irrigation.
3. Fuller Rose Beetles
Adult beetles will chew away at the flowers and leaves of
your rose bush. You can usually detect their presence by the
ragged edges of your blooms and foliage. They feed during the
night and hide during the day on the underside of leaves. Pesticides
are not effective in dealing with these insects, so the best
solution is handpicking these beetles off.
4. Thrips
Thrips damage the blooms by leaving brown streaks on the flowers.
They are a huge problem when rose bushes are planted close
together because they can move quite easily from one plant
to another. They are usually attracted to light colored or
white roses and cause a great deal of damage. It is difficult
to control thrips with pesticides because they are really only
effective at the development stage. The best thing to do is
clip and dispose of infected blooms.
5. Caterpillars
There are some types of caterpillars that will feed on rose
leaves. Usually the damage is not that threatening to the rose
plant. Simply remove the rolled leaves and prune any damaged
buds.
5. Rose Slug
These are the larva of a sawfly, but they resemble caterpillars
because they have legs. You can wash these off with a forceful
spray of water or let one of their natural enemies take care
of the problem for you.
7. Leafcutter Bees
Leafcutter bees make semicircular holes in leaves and take
this material back to their nests. You’ll just have to put
up with this, as there is no effective way to combat them other
than killing the leafcutter bees. It is recommended that you
don’t kill bees since they are natural pollinators.
8. Rose Curculio
Rose Curculios prefer yellow and white roses. They are about
a quarter of an inch long and go about punching holes in the
flowers and buds. The larvae feast on developing buds so the
buds are killed before they even get a chance to open. If you
have an infestation of rose curculios, you can rid them by
using an insecticide from your local home or garden center.
9. Flat headed Borers
Flat headed borers can cause the canes to die back. They may
kill canes or the entire rose plant. You need to remove any
material that is infested with these critters and keep the
plants healthy by not over pruning in the summer months and
ensuring there is sufficient irrigation.
10. Scale Insects
Scale insects also pose a threat to the canes. Scale insects
have armored scales and look like small, grey rounds or ovals.
These creatures don’t really move because they have no legs
for most of their lives so they are there to stay once you
spot them. The best way to combat scale insect infestations
is to prune away infected canes and put some pesticide oil
on any remaining canes.
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: 2006
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