What are these?... I always thought they were rose slugs!

brother_cadfael

13 years ago

I now know what rose slugs look like and I get them at the same time as these bristly ones... in about equal numbers.

Thanks,

BC:)

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Comments (17)

jill_perry_gw
13 years ago
It looks like a saber fly larva- they eat aphids. I'm not sure about the hairs, but I know they have that light stripe down the back. Good guys.
Jill
sherryocala
13 years ago
I smushed a similar one today, but it was eating it's way out of a rosebud. No aphids in the area.

Sherry
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brother_cadfael
Original Author
13 years ago
Sorry Jill,
It can't be a good guy.... they eat my rose buds... :'(

Rob:)
harborrose_pnw
13 years ago
There is such a thing as a bristly rose slug - but I'm not sure they have a stripe down their back. Were the bristly guys eating the leaves also?
brother_cadfael
Original Author
13 years ago
No, just the buds... I have rose slugs eat my leaves for me. ;o)
harborrose_pnw
13 years ago
Gee, I'll bet the slugs have just passed the word about your tasty rose plant buffet to all their friends and family. Hard to be so popular, I know...
lucretia1
13 years ago
Here are some syrphid fly larvae photos (the good aphid eaters.) They don't look hairy at all. And the stripe is on the back--in your photo it almost looks like the stripe is down the side.

A great site for looking up critters is What's That Bug?. I stopped looking at caterpillars after about 10 pages and didn't see your guy, but there were at least 40 pages to go thru. Now I have to go deal with a bad case of the heebie-jeebies!
brother_cadfael
Original Author
13 years ago
Lucretia 1,
I don't think it's the syrphids and I didn't see anything else there that looked like it. Thanks for your help though. :o))

The first pic I posted was from Google, but it wasn't from a site that explained what the worm was... it was a stock photo site or something.

Here are some pics I took this morning of the little culprits.

ON THE STEM, ALWAYS NEXT TO A BUD, WITH ITS HEAD BURIED INSIDE AS IT HOLLOWS IT OUT...
{{gwi:273352}}

HERE IS THE DAMAGE THEY DO...
{{gwi:273353}}

MUGSHOT...(I couldn't get him to smile, with his wee beedy eyes!)
{{gwi:273354}}

BODY...
{{gwi:273355}}

HE THINKS HE'S CUTE...
{{gwi:273356}}

LOOKING FOR MORE BUDS TO MUNCH...
{{gwi:273357}}

To clarify, as long as I've been growing roses (10 years) I have always had these, I just assumed that this was what everyone was talking about when they mentioned "rose slugs". I thought that the REAL rose slugs were just some anonymous green caterpillar looking for lunch.

If noone nows what these are, I will email Baldo or the "What's That Bug?" website to try to get an ID.
michaelg
13 years ago
Next up: York Rose will count the legs and tell us for sure that it is or is not a sawfly larvae (rose slug).

Great pictures.
york_rose
13 years ago
york_rose has spent the last couple of days in Maine, delivering training to the agricultural inspectors at the Maine border crossings, so this is his first chance to see these pictures.

york_rose feels confident that this pest is not a rose slug (sawfly larva), but rather an honest to goodness caterpillar, and thus most likely either a larval butterfly or moth. Actually, while I'm by no means certain I wouldn't be surprised to learn this caterpillar was a Lycaenid butterfly larva (ie., one of the "blue", "copper", or "gray" butterflies).

However, that is only an educated guess/hunch.

I do feel certain that this is not a rose slug. Neither the feeding behavior nor the appearance of the body or the head seem consistent with this being a rose slug (while both are consistent with this being a caterpillar).
brother_cadfael
Original Author
13 years ago
Hmmm....

Would the eggs for these critters have been laid this spring? If so, I highly doubt it's any kind of butterfly or moth because our butterfly season is just starting and I would have seen a flock of those things laying eggs all over.

UPDATE...
>8^((
I have an INFESTATION of these b*s*a*d critters. I must have killed 200 by hand and gave up and just sprayed every rose (about 200) with insecticidal soap from top to bottom... because the roses are set for an incredible spring flush this year and I don't want it ruined.

They seem to like my Rugosas, 'Martin Frobisher' and 'Wasagaming', and my Albas, 'Semi-plena' and 'Celestial' the best... but there are smaller litters of them elsewhere.

Thanks for your help so far,
Rob:)
michaelg
13 years ago
It's definitely a caterpillar, since it has only 4 pairs of prolegs. This means it can be controlled safely with a BT product such as Di-pel. Every decent garden counter should have a BT product for caterpillars.
brother_cadfael
Original Author
13 years ago
I finally learned what they are...

I am rather dismayed at the advice of the UW to use SEVIN on these little pests.... it would seem to be the equivalent of dropping a nuke on two little old ladies fighting over a Thanksgiving turkey at Piggly Wiggly. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: UW Entomology Dept.
berndoodle
13 years ago
If they are caterpillars, can't you just use BT on the roses only? Might be too late if they are too big. I've used it for tent caterpillars that eat my oak trees, plum trees and roses. It's not a 100% control, but it greatly reduces numbers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thuricide
brother_cadfael
Original Author
13 years ago
Berndoodle,
I sprayed them with insect. soap... they're no longer with us.

Thanks for the suggestion of Thuricide, I will use that next year instead of the soap as I may still be killing a few beneficials by using the soap.

Rob :)
york_rose
13 years ago
Here is one North American plume moth species whose larvae are known to eat roses.
armyyife
13 years ago
Oh yuck! Glad you got rid of them!

What are these?... I always thought they were rose slugs!

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jill_perry_gw

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What are these?... I always thought they were rose slugs!

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