Wonder what they are? Post some pictures and I'll see what I can do. I make no promises about giving you species names, but I might be able to give you a general idea of what you're seeing. I've seen some smaller, tiny bees on the rose leaves also. There are MANY species of solitary bees, and most of them are very small. They're probably interested in collecting rose pollen to feed to their babies. It's not unusual for bees like this to collect pollen & nectar, make a ball out of the pollen (using the nectar as the binding agent), lay an egg on the ball, and then seal the whole thing inside a chamber and do it all over again in the next part of the tunnels they've already created. Native solitary bee species often live that way. The babies take a year to become adults, and so show up the following year to repeat the cycle. Some parts of the season they seem more agressive than others. Yellow jackets are more aggressive in late summer/early autumn because their source of food in the nest is diminishing. After they feed those killed insects to the babies back in the nest the babies secret a sugary fluid which the adults eat as food. That works great at this time year since the nest is growing in population and so there are more babies on the way then there are adults now (creating a situation in the nest where the adults have access to lots of food). By the end of the summer the queen isn't laying so many eggs as now, and so there are lots of adults, but fewer babies to rear (and thus less food in the nest for the adults). That means the adults have to look for sugary stuff outside the nest to satiate their hunger. That's why they become an aggressive nuisance at Labor Day cookouts & picnics.

Are these new plants? Or established? If they are established plants I would make an educated guess at giving them a nitrogen boost to help them recover their lost foliage quicker. The rose slugs are indeed grubs...but not caterpillars. As such, applications of something like bT would not be effective. Contact insecticides are supposed to work against them, but they work against the good guys, too, including pollinators. I am battling them, but they are not overwhelming. My plan is to get some good host plants going and introduce biological controls like predatory bugs. Hopefully the garden will find an equilibrium.

I've been experimenting with planting French Marigolds around our roses. Last year was my first year of experimenting and things went very well so this year I have planted Marigolds again to see what happens... Previous years I used Safer Insecticide Soap and Spinosad with success... I recommend spraying the underside of leaves but also the top side of leaves and canes... And I recommend spot testing the bush before applying to entire bush...

Thanks jim and seil zone. There is still a LOT of green in the leaves. Very few have been totally skelotized. So I'll just leave them on. Yes, I did spray undersides the best I could. I'm going to spray a few more times at least. My soap instructions says I can spray again a day after first using but I'm not so sure. Would you do that? Or better to wait a few days between sprays? seil...I read that Sevin and Malathion and a few others work. We have so many bees around yard I hate to use this stuff though. I did however read, as far as bees go, that it would be OK to use these after they go to bed, whatever time that is lol. If things worsen I'll try this and hope I don't kill off to many good bugs. THANK YOU for your thoughts. Appreciate you taking the time.