Safers Soap works well for me on roses. I really need to get it out and start preventative measures... I found a caterpillar on Double Delight tonight. I need to get spraying the delphiniums too, they're always the worst for sawfly larvae and they work fast. Sometimes they've eaten the whole year's buds before I even notice them.

The black stuff would be poop.

I'm pretty sure the black specks are caterpillar poop.

I was having problems with leaf rollers on my fruit trees. Also some blotches of fungus because of all of the rainy weather.

I sprayed with Spectracide Imiden Plus and it has eliminated the leaf rollers and stopped the fungus and powdery mildew.

Ouch! I so feel for you.... these bugs and things are so annoying!!! You wait for a whole year for just a couple of months of these gorgeous things to bloom and then these bugs are going to ruin them... YIKES!

I got some Safers Soap spray for my roses too. I thought that it would only work when you spray the insect, but it does not have any residual effect on the plants after you spray them? Can I spray the entire rose plant and prevent bugs from attacking them???

Check out rose slugs (aka sawflies) to see whether these are the bad guys. They make a mess of some of my rose bushes every year.

Nope, Donna, not a rose slug. Though I have had those in years past! This worm is shorter, fatter, and more cream colored. And it doesn't leave those trails in the leaves, it just chomps little holes and rolls the leaves. In each rolled leaf, there is a yucky worm! I trimmed out all that I could find yesterday, today I need to get at those beetles before it rains.

Katie, I came across this site one day last week while looking for something else. Maybe what's bugging your roses?

Ginny

http://torontogardens.blogspot.ca/2009/06/hey-rose-whats-eating-you.html

Ginny your link was broken here is the fix

Here is a link that might be useful: Rose bugs

Thanks Cindy. :)

Ginny, yes that creamy leaf-roller looks like exactly what is in my roses. Thanks for the link! Barfedy-barf barf! I am so not a squisher, unless it is something little and relatively fluid-free like an aphid. Those worms? No way. I am however a big believer in hand-picking. I just burn them instead of squishing.

I'm not against using chemical sprays; a few times in the past they have done the trick and prevented nasty things like spider mites from spreading. BUT. I'm trying much harder to avoid spraying now, 1) because of pregnancy..no matter how calm it is, I always seem to get a bit of spray flavor in my mouth. I'm sure that's healthy... 2) Some of the sprays seem to weaken the plants so much, that I almost always seem to get something even worse that moves in after I spray 3) Sometimes the spray doesn't quite finish the job, the bug repopulates, and then you are truly screwed because your plant is weakened and you got rid of your beneficial bugs. Definitely a last resort for me.

So a handpicking I go! Those rose weevils are annoying..at the slightest brush they fall to the ground, making it hard to find them if you didn't have something under the branch to catch them. That, and the roses also have plenty of revolting spiders camped out on the buds, which for a person with arachnophobia like me, makes for some very ginger picking.

There also seems to be some black splotches on quite a few of the buds..like at least half. I'm not sure if I should cut them all out, or if some dark spots are normal or caused by water or something else..hmm..I hope I don't have to cut them out, because Prairie Peace is a heavy bloomer and that will take forever!

You crack me up, Katie! Lol! But your humour is based on sound principles and safety. Hand picking can at least be done with rubber gloves. :) You get em, girl! Best learn to accept those 8 leggers as you will soon enough be teaching a brand new little soul. :) So glad the link helped.

Have to have one of our rose experts chime in about the black spot. :)

Ginny

Ostrich, yes the soap will deter further attack until it rains. Then you have to apply more.

Thanks, northspruce! That is great to know. Thanks!!!

weeper,

I am squeamish about squashing those caterpillars too! I don't know what came over me, but last week I deliberately squeezed the growing tip of a delphinium, knowing full-well that housed in that curled up bud was a delphinium worm.

Well, it made a sort of wet, squelching sound and rather than being a satisfying thing to do...it gave me the heebie jeebies..so gross.

Maybe I can get one of the kids to do the dirty deed next time. My daughter called them jelly bugs when she was little.

Btw, those dark spots...maybe a round of fungicide is in order? Do you have issues with Black Spot in your yard?

No, the only rose I ever got blackspot on was my Persian Yellow, and I pulled that out this spring. My Prairie Peace rose, in particular(which is the one with the black spots), never ever gets disease. And bugs don't really put a dint in it either...
So I'm wondering if those rose weevils have just done more damage than I would like, and I'll have to prune out all those buds. I don't want an even worse infestation next year!

Hahaha, "jelly bugs"...excuse me while I barf! I do occasionally find my courage bolstered by my utter aggravation at the damage bugs do. You're a real hero, Donna, squishing that bug, doing it despite the fear. That's what bravery is all about. ;)