Hi Jean- I got up this morning and the two plants just weren't creating any slight amount of new growth at all, even three days after I realized the problem was serious. It was like they were completely paralyzed. So I pulled them out and threw them away in a closed plastic bag. From what I have found online, it seems whiteflies are the most likely crux of the problem, since they seem to be the most common vector for cucurbit leaf curl viruses. I actually got rid of most insect problems by daily spraying with a homemade botanical extract (water/oil extract of hot pepper, garlic, ginger root, lemongrass, and neem tree leaves/blossoms). But recently I've been titrating down the solution to see how much I can dilute the base extract and still get good results. Then some whiteflies did start hanging around again... and I guess that was that. I didn't realize this leaf curl virus was around here and that the whiteflies could be the grim reapers. I'm bumping my hot sauce back up to the previous dilution notch that keeps the whiteflies away, and hopefully the remaining four plants won't yet get infected. Sorry for not posting a picture to start with. If this type of question comes up again, I'll include a photo showing the symptoms. Thank you for asking. -Paul

I agree that they are red aphids and they are sucking the good from the plants. A forceful spray with cold water helps or try insecticidal soap. Mix with water as per package instructions and spray the plant. The soap will also kill any eggs and it is completely safe. Then watch to see if you've missed any.

That's the thing... the only damage is on the roses. I got the lilies from a friends garden and she says that she has the same beetle and calls them a japanese beetle. (I thought they were brown and green though). No damage to the lilies in her garden either but the beetles seem to move into the lilies and just sit there on the stem at the base of a leaf.

Hey heavensabvus1, you keep getting rid of these critters but if you enhance the natural immunity on your plants, you may be able to deter these bugs for the long term. I recommend working some worm castings into your soil or better yet, innoculate your soil with worms. Worm castings contain an enzyme called chitinase which eats away the shells of many insects. It will take a while for your plants to absorb these enzymes but it will save you a lot of trouble down the road. You may also want to innoculate your soil with beneficial bacteria and fungi. You can buy prepackaged organic fertilizers like Kelloggs at Home Depot that already have these organisms. These organisms form a symbiotic relation with your plant and soil rhizosphere and protect the plant and inhibit insect attacks by several mechanisms. One of these mechanisms is the direct infection of insects by some of the fungal or microbial organisms. Some of these microbial organisms, the bacillus species for example, are naturally found in the soil and certain bacteria and fungi can directly infect and eventually kill harmful insects. To get rid of your pests, I would also highly recommend putting out ant bait stations. Ants innoculate plants with aphids in order to create a steady supply of sweet plant sap. The ants pretty much farm the aphids. By getting rid of ants around your property, you should see a dramatic decrease in your aphid population. To directly kill the aphids, I recommend using Chrysanthemum tea. Chrysanthemum contains a chemical called Pyrethrin which act as a mild natural insecticide. You will have to spray your trees every couple of days for about a week or two untill the insects finally realize its futile. The aphids will eventually come back and you will have to spray again but hopefully your tree has absorbed enough chitinase from the worm castings and also your beneficial bacteria and mycohrizzal fungi would have established itself well enough in your potting soil that even if the bugs did come back, they will take one bite out of your plant, vomit a little, and scuddle to your neighbors yard for some greener pastures :) Beware of those ant bait traps around pets, small children and rain however. If it rains heavily in your area, the poison can get washed into your soil. I try to stay organic but I haven't found a good way of getting rid of ant aside from the bait stations. Good luck with your citrus!