I don't know if you have rose curculios in your part of the country, but they generally take out most of my first flush. You cannot control them with an insecticide because they are not feeding on the rose. They are laying eggs. Sometimes you will just see a bud bending over, or you will find buds on your rose that have turned brown and never opened. If the buds do open, the bloom will have lots of little holes in the petals.

Here's a link on HMF. You can click on the photos tab to see pictures of this nasty beast.

Smiles,

Lyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Rose Curculios

If one or a few buds are rigidly bent over with a flange inside the bend, it is just a random error of development called "bent neck." If there is wilting or punctures, it could be caused by curculios.

You might want to read up on rose midge, just in case.

As a last result, try one of the erectial disfunction remedies. I hear they're great for getting limp things to straighten up.
I hope you realize I'm just kidding about using them on roses?

Now Karl!!!

I have the same problem. Rose was fine last year. This year sprayed with Bayer rose spray and all heads are bent double and foliage is dying....

You ^^ indicate rose was fine last year (w/o Bayer spray, presumably). This year you applied spray. What problem diagnosed by you prompted spray application?

I agree with trying a bit extra water first. This especially happens to our container roses. The containers dry out fast.

However I admit I unfortunately seem to be learning about a new rose pest every day. Never heard of a curculio. :-(

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

Re spraying roses I did it as a preventative, they were fine up until then. I wish I hadn't bothered now. Roses have opened (with bent necks) and I don't think it is curculio as there are no holes in petals.. I live in the North of England, remote from any other gardens, and have not seen it here. The roses were not short of water as by the back door so under close observation! The bent heads started well before current drought. They are looking so poorly I think it is the end for them...

Water, water, water!