Lauren just count yourself lucky--I had an inchworm in my salad once! The waitress offered to get me another salad, but the colleague I was at lunch with (who had quite the warped sense of humor) piped in with it probably came with brothers and sisters and lots of friends. I opted for soup.;) Baldo, thanks for the great link. That info has already come in handy. I noticed this foamy spit stuff on a couple of my roses and was wanting (hoping?) to blame the dog, but spit that stays for days at a time? Nope, Zephyr didn't cause THIS on the plants. This time (no his m.o. is to sit on them with all his 110+ pounds of blunk and smash them *g*). Thanks to your excellent bug info I now know the culprits--spittlebugs! Also was able to identify another pest that has been happily munching on roses. Katydids. Melissa

Bayer 3-in-1 will get rid of some of those bugs. It will also kill the predator wasps, ladybugs, and any mantids and create an environment where the bad bugs return sooner than their predators. For those aphids, rose slugs, and mites, a simply spray of water is nearly as effective as a kill'em-all insecticide. These are the easier of the pests to knock off of rose bushes. The rain should be part of your pest control, and not contributing to the infestation. I believe all of the ones you listed prefer hot & dry conditions.

In hot weather, I usually assume first that HEAT is the problem--the roses are thirsty and burning up! However, I would not recommend the Bayer Rose and Flower Insect Killer (nor most of the Bayer products), They specialize in overkill--so maybe we shouldn't be surprised that the tender buds and necks are not doing well. By the way, I doubt the Bayer Insect Killer will actually do much to kill off JBs--that is mostly a marketing ploy. And as for the other insects listed, most of them can be handled in less harmful ways (midge being the exception, I believe). Just ask here when you have a problem with, say, aphids, and we can give lots of good advice without resorting to Bayer Insect Killer. There is only one Bayer product I recommend--their Bayer Advanced Disease Control for Roses, Flowers, and Shrubs--for blackspot and related leaf diseases. I'm serious --that is the only ONE I recommend. But even then, just ask here and we can suggest some ways to keep blackspot from taking over your rose garden--without using sprays. (By the way--I can only get the Disease Control at Lowe's or online.) About your immediate problem, I suggest quit using the Bayer Rose and Flower Insect Killer and give your roses more water in hot weather. Let us know how that works out. For the curious: Bayer evidently has a new name. According to their online site, the products have been renamed BIOADVANCED instead of Bayer Advanced. Kate

Dan, Caterpillars make frass, too. Whatever the insect (I immediately said grasshopper because they have powerful mouth parts, and the time of year is right), those little drawstring organza bags can be very effective. They come in different sizes. If you get a 6" x 8" size, or thereabout, the bloom can open in it. Then remove the bag. Remove it any time before a bloom opens, and some determined insect may get to it. Even after it opens, insects don't stop, but at least the flower got a chance to bloom! The organza bags are quite cheap on Amazon, but make sure you order from a US company, or it may take a month or more coming from China. Moses