Hello Meghan,

I'm having a heck of a time with Rose Slugs and moth caterpillars this year. I usually just have a handful, but this year I had an infestation. >8^(

I used insecticidal soap and they're gone now... you may want to try it, it's not nearly as deadly as some of the other chems out there... but it was my last resort before getting out the liquid Bayer insecticide, which I haven't done for years.

Hopefully you have less roses than I do, I went through nine gallons of the diluted spray for my 180 roses. :o/

The only downside to the soap is that you have to cover the entire plant from head to toe, in hopes of making contact with every one of the little pests.
I'm surprised the Bayer didn't work for you... are you using the liquid or the pellets?

By the way... NEEM Oil, shmeem oil... don't bother. :)

Rob

I think spinosad works on thrips. I bought it this year, but I had to be away for a few weeks and I think (hope) the thrips are gone with the first flush being over. If you still have blooms and thrips, try to find spinosad.

For jbs, the bayer insecticide will work. But depending on how many there are, I find the picking off and drowning method works just as well. Unless you are deluged as I was one year with hundreds of JBs. Then I sprayed them and I think wiped out the population for a few years, LOL, because I haven't seen many since then. With JBs, it pays to spray the insects directly rather than spray the plants if there are no insects present.

Rob- the Bayer I used was the pellets. Thanks for letting me know about the neem oil. I kind of figured that was probably going to be a waste of money so thanks for confirming it. I had the soap in my hand last time but wasn't sure so I put it back and got something else. Hmmm, maybe I could give it a try.

I would like to see if I can use one product to take care of all the pests at the same time if possible. buford- does spinosad just kill thripes?

Also some of my roses and its the ones that have always been so disease resistant have bs really bad, I mean bad. I just don't get it! I'm just so frustrated with it all! So now I want to get something for the bs as well. :O( ~Meghan

Yes, I agree: after a very long winter it was-is a very bad spring in coastal NC. It was extremely dry, no rain until now and I still have a lot of disease and insects too soon here in the coastal region.

Since the Bayer Rose and insect killer spray works against JBs and thrips, I would use that. Here in my yard thrips and JBs showed up at the same time this year that is quite unusual.

I usually apply the spray in early evening by a hose end spray bottle when I don't see any bees flying around, so I don't kill bee's. I spray only those part of the bush where the flowers are and I do not spray the bottom of the bush. Exception is when I spray on a JB directly from a hand-held bottle - that can happen anytime during the day. I didn't do the entire garden yet this year, since the first flush is over anyway.
I don't like the Bayer pellets for various reasons: 1) because it contains some bad stuff; 2) because I use insecticides only when I see that I need them; 3.)because I learned that the pellets didn't really work.

Forget about Neem oil, I can mail it to anyone for postage if one believes in it in case we didn't throw out the bottle out as yet. Or, pyrethroids that were considered more nature-friendly, according to the Texas A&M study (linked by Ann on chili thrips), are less effective but much more harmful to beneficial insects than imidacloprid, the active ingredient in the Bayer spray. Ironically, the only problem with the Bayer spray is now that they cylfuthrin to the spay. Cylfuthrin is a kind of pyrethroid, supposedly useful against spidermites. It seems that we cannot win.

"So now I am going to pull the big guns out and look at getting a non organic pesticide to rid myself of these pests once and for all!"

I wish this were true.

The problem with pesticides is that you have to get pretty deadly to eradicate the pest. In the process, you end up killing out the predators of other pests. With nothing to keep them in check, these pests multiply out of control and you end up with a much larger problem than you began with. To be effective against pests, a spray program has to be maintained. Sorta like completed a round of antibiotics even though you feel better mid-way through.

I just live and let live, seems to work better that way. And my roses definitely are not picture perfect, but the diversity of life living amongst them is heartening.

Well I got the Bayer Rose and insect killer spray. I got the handheld spray bottle verses the one you attach to the hose so I can directly spray the roses and bugs and them only. I do not believe their are any beneficial insects on my roses. I know this is a short time solution which right now I need. I have been handpicking and squishing bugs and cutting buds (to get rid of the thripes) everyday a couple times a day and not even making a dent. Then their is the bs which is really defoliating the roses that are usually the ones with little to almost bs. I've just had it. MAC and Lamarque are pretty much the only ones not being effected by pest or disease.

greybird- I use to use pesticides all the time years ago and wondered why I never saw the "good" bugs so I stopped doing it years ago and got all sorts good and bad. I am with you on that but the bad is over taking the good. I have never had this bad of a problem with both pests and disease before. My roses look terrible. So I have decided that by using something stronger than an organic solution on just the roses I can hopefully make a big dent in the problem. Then things will return as they should. I hope.
~Meghan

Mom, I prefer organic..but sometime there are so many bad bugs. Years ago in California I lived by a citrus grove..well builders decided to build there..and we were over run with spiders and bugs. We tried enjoying them...but when we went out on our porch it was like a horror movie. We finally sprayed. I feel your pain.

When someone comments on their experience with a Neem product, it would be very helpful if the exact product used was identified. Some/many/most? so called Neem products have had the primary insect active ingredient Azadirachtin removed.

I also feel your pain. I don't even get to see many blooms because the deer eat buds, leaves and all!
I don't have the heart to shoot them, but gave my son instructions to shoot eveyone he sees!
I try to live TOTALLY organically inside and out. We have been over-run with ants in our house. Little black ones. You kill one and thousands come to the funeral! THEN STAY!!

I not only have to worry about hurting beneficial insects, but am allergic to the bug sprays myself. I got fed up and let DH spray for the ants and could hardly come into the house later that day with a fan in the window blowing out. Kept it blowing out for DAYS.

I feel hopeless! Tried every thing organic I've heard off with no results.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Betty

momof2luv2garden, the Bayer Insect Killer will work on insects, but won't handle blackspot (at least as far as I know). For BS, you will need to get a different Bayer product: Bayer Advanced Garden Disease Control for Roses, Flowers, and Shrubs. It is very effective on BS.

Kate

betty, for deer, try Deer Off. It's a pepper and rotten egg spray (it doesn't smell that bad, but don't get it in your eyes, the pepper will burn). The deer can't stand the smell and taste and will move on. You will have to reapply every few weeks or after a heavy rain, but it's worth it. And totally organic!

bettyd, for ants I have great success with Terro Ant Killer. Several of the local nurseries carry it and I believe that you can also buy it on line. I use the liquid ant killer at home in the kitchen (You just put a couple of drops on a tiny cardboard base and put it near the ant trail. It is WAY more effective than Raid with no smell) and I have bought the small bait stations for my daughter to use in her dorm room.
Kathy

Kate the one I got says it Insect, Disease & mite control. I thought I got the rose and insect stuff. This is by Bayer but it looked like it did everything I needed in one bottle except I didn't read till I got home that you have to spray the insects directly. I wonder if the other one was like that too? Oh well. We shall see what happens. I bought 2 bottles but I don't know that its enough. I also bought some fish emulsion to help them bounce back a bit, I hope anyway. ~Meghan

Buford- Thanks for the Deer Off tip. I will certainly try it.

Kathy- I'm going to call every nursery I know of first thing in the morning. If I can't find it local, I will buy on line. Thank you sooooo much! You have no idea had bad those ants have been this spring.

Betty

I give up! :O( My once robust and healthy roses look pitiful now. I spray and I spray and the bugs just keep coming! I'm still going out to find those same bugs still chewing and sucking the life out of my roses. The jps are increasing in number on top of it and the bs is getting worse despite me spraying for it. I've spent a bunch of money already trying to combat the problems and don't know if I should keep trying or just give up and let the roses try to fight it on there own. Duchess de Brabant looks the worse and she is one of my very favorites. She bearly has any leaves on her and the ones she does keep getting attacked by bugs. I have always raved about how healthy this rose was and now you wouldn't know it to look at her. Everyone one of my roses now are effected and look just terrible. :O( I'm just hoping that they can bounce back from this. Mrs B R Cant also has little leaves left as does Hermosa. Their would be tons of blooms I could be enjoying but all and I do mean pretty much all the buds on my roses are being chewed by either thripes, jps, and or those sucking insects. Everytime I go outside to make my rounds of picking and squishing bugs, plucking the bs leaves that have yellowed and cutting infected buds I just want to cry.

I'm sorry for blubbering but it is so frustrating and sad to see them looking as they do. I've just never seen it so bad like this before. I don't know what it is. ~Meghan

It might be more productive at this point to focus on keeping the plants as healthy as possible to help them fight off the bugs or at least survive the bugs. In other words focus your attention below ground and on the roots. Make sure the roses are well-watered, (and have good drainage), and provide the roses with plenty of organic compost and mulch. Continue to clean up dead leaves off the plant and the ground so that you aren't providing a buffet for the buggers. ;) If it's been a while perhaps it would be a good time to get the soil tested and see if any additional nutrients are needed and amend the soil accordingly.

Good luck. It's very hard to stay motivated when you feel like you've done everything possible and nothing is working.