The most common "eater" of rose leaves in California is the Bristly Rose Slug, the larvae of the Rose Sawfly. The sawfly is a pudgy little wasp. It lays its eggs on the UNDERSIDES of the leaves and the caterpillars feed on the UNDERSIDES of the leaves. The rose slug is tiny, no more than 1/4-inch long and very slender, and it's the exact same pale green as the undersides of the leaves. Talk about hard to see and find! It's the critter that "skelotinizes" rose leaves. It's pretty easy to get rid of, actually. Almost any good spray will do the job: insecticidal soap, Neem, pyrethrum. The trick is to spray thoroughly UNDER the leaves. Not stand back and spray all over. You have to get UNDER the leaves. By the way, a commonly suggested spray for rose sawfly is BT. It doesn't work. It doesn't work because it's meant for the caterpillars of moths and butterflies. The rose slug is the larvae of a wasp. And I'm not sure of any beneficial insect that preys upon it. As for your rose buds, Applenut has a good idea. Go outside late at night with a flashlight. The critter most likely is an earwig, sowbug or pillbug. It also might be a slug or snail. Joe

most likely the afore-mentioned Red Lily Beetle -- the scourge of true lilies (and fritillaria). the "mud" is the lovely glob of excrement ftom the larvae, which is under the leaves or at the joint of leaf and stem, and in which they protect themselves. i loathe having to squish this mess, so i use Bayer Rose and Garden spray -- blue bottle -- which is a systemic and also kills on contact. it is the BEST stuff, tho don't spray in windy weather or when beneficial insects are flying around. go read the FAQs on this forum for more info. and good luck!

OMG! Those are AWFUL! What an infestation! Those pictures are downright terrifying! Keep your Aliens jumping out of people's chests - heaven protect me from an insect infestation like that in my garden! I suggest liquid Rotenone mixed with Pyrethrum. If that's your bug problem, that'll wipe them right out, and it's organic. Sojourner

Thank you Keith, that is helpful information which I will try next spring. This season I have been vigilant picking larva and bugs off my asiatic lilies and I have controlled the situation so that there has been little to no damage on my lilies and they look nice this year as opposed to last year when they look devastated and couldn't be enjoyed at all. Having said that, there were some lilies that I just pulled out of the ground completely because the larva seemed unbeatable, but mostly I have won the battle this year. I will try the talcum powder next.