I don't spray my roses anything, organic or non-organic. For me it's a mindset, just because its organic doesn't mean that it is safe for the environment or the kiddies

I grow very disease resistant and vigorous roses. A very vigorous rose (read big, maybe a little bit out of control) can handle temporary challenges and recover from them. If a rose is not vigorous enough to thrive in my garden, then there are lots of other deserving gardens that it can live. In my Florida garden (I have now relocated to the PNW) I had only 2 types of plants, those that tried to take over my yard and those that have died. I do exaggerate a little bit.

My roses receive lots of organic fertilizer, mainly sewage sludge and the kind of mulch that will break down quickly to provide the organic material that the good micro organisms need. They receive enough water to keep them gowing stong.

You have a severe case of rose slug. The best "organic" solution is to catch them early (too late for you, I'm afraid), and squash them individually. A nasty job, but effective. The slugs are larvae of the the rose sawfly, and look like tiny, tiny green worms...which get much larger. They tend to hide on the underside of the leaves. You'll first see almost transparent, white, round-ish patches that don't quite cut all the way through the leaf. Soon, as the slugs grow and get larger, you'll see the whole leaf be skeletonized like yours. I'm afraid at this point, you'll have to spray at least once, then once you've knocked down the population, watch for them to pop up again (they will), and catch them early and do the dirty deed. If you're squeamish about crushing them, wear a pair of latex or vinyl gloves.

John

Agreed: Rose Slug.

Organic control? Pick by hand. That's your only option, really.

tweezer and soap water in a bowl are your friend. I am squeamish about crushing anything bigger than aphids, gnats and spider mites. Once you pick with a tweezer and drop into the soap water you don't have to see them die and it's all good. :)

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/sawflies/rose-and-pear-slugs-sawflies.aspx

It's pretty advanced sawfly damage, as others have said. Other things like wasps and birds eat such caterpillars so there is no spraying them with anything that isn't going to then travel along the food chain. Idk about other places, but here they come in waves, and I just leave them be until they grow up and move on. I've never had them eat any of my roses as bad as yours are eaten, maybe it's luck or maybe it's that I have a large variety of insects and predators, I really couldn't say. Either way I don't ever encourage anyone to spray things. Some of my roses get "attacked" by sawflies worse than other ones, if you want to be no-spray than leave those roses alone and observe how they do, see if they bounce back after the sawflies mature or not. If any aren't able to stand up to your pest pressure then I'd remove them and try a variety they don't like as much. But that's me, and I think having a no spray, no insecticide, hands-off-the-wildlife kind of garden requires a lot of patience and self control (and the ability to relinquish control) and it's not for everyone. I love mine but others might think of it as messy and imperfect.

If it's a Japanese Beetle though I show no mercy. (Problematic invasives should be dealt with if need be but sawflies don't fall under that category.) I've only found one but I crushed it without hesitation 😳

Ok, thank you. This gives me a decent amount of information to work with. I appreciate all your input and suggestions. I especially appreciate the suggestions for gloves and soapy water. And Rifis, thank you for that link.

I know that "organic" is not always better in that it also has environmental consequences and is not alays safer. I know some of you do absolutely no spray gardens. What sort of impact have you experienced using detergents like neem oil or I saw something about boiling orange peels to extract the limonene in them and applying that as a spray instead of the harsher chemicals you buy as pesticides. I'm interested in your thoughts and experiences.

We have neighbors who keep bees and we have a decent amount of wildlife around. We have well water and are trying to grow plants for beauty and for food. And then I have a 1 year old, a 3 year old, and a large old dog. None of them are able to respect garden boundary lines. I don't know what kind of chemicals and fertilizers were used here before we moved, but ideally I want to foster a more balanced environment where there are as many predators as pests. Am I delusional or can this be done? I'm working with a tight budget where I can't afford to just replace plants as they get eaten. And I'm quite set on having a rose garden.

Magpie, have you found that some pests prefer some varieties over others? Do you have any favorite hardy varieties? My in-laws are in CO, so i know firsthand how different our climates are, but I am interested in your experience. Or does it have to do more with garden location?

Ugh, the Japanese beetles last year were numerous and merciless! We also get stink bugs which apparently also think roses are delicious! 

These roses were eaten up a couple of times last year and bounced back, quite well, just in time for the first frost. They weren't this bad this early last year, and I figure they can only take so much!

Candace, it can be done! I have 7 productive vegetable beds as well as 25 roses and many other types of flowering plants, and I don't spray anything or lose a bunch of plants each year to pests. I will preface the rest of this by saying that of course not every garden has the same pest pressure and climate so ymmv. As I said above, the sawflies in particular like some of my roses more than others. I keep a lot of other plants in the borders, including early flowering perennials, which attracts the wasps and the birds to my garden as early as possible. I assume that their presence helps contribute to keeping insects in check. Early perennials also often make thick leaf rosettes in early spring which allows other predators, like spiders, to come and hang out.

As for garden location, I definitely notice that different locations even within my garden have different pest pressures. Some parts of my garden are 100% safe for zinnias, and in other areas they get eaten the day they sprout every. single. time! And some years are worse for pests than others.

Some of my most vigorous and hardy roses include Mme. Plantier, John Cabot, and Sidonie. I do have others that are totally hardy but just not as vigorous so far. But they're also young so we'll see.

I’m no spray here. I get hit with the sawfly larvae & J. beetles too. I’ve had some success with the sawfly larvae by attrecting birds to the garden. I put out a big plastic pot saucer right on the ground for water, and have a few feeders around the yard, one of which is a finch feeder with niger seed. The birds will eat the sawfly larvae, and occasionally the beetles too. I squish the larvae by folding the leaf around them & squishing 😜.

Yes, it certainly can be done, Candace, and I heartily approve. Personally I get satisfaction from crushing sawfly larvae...

My experience is leading me in the direction of "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Giving roses good soil, mulch and water goes a long way to help them to fight off pests and disease. By nature, predators instinctually go after the weaklings,and this is true with roses as it is with animals. If I see that one of my roses is particularly victimized by bugs,for example,I try to focus on improving it's soil with organic matter, manure,etc.

Paul Zimmerman has a great approach to rose gardening in an easy, natural way. You might want to check out his Youtube channel and his Facebook site. His advice helped me go no-spray, and his videos are fun to watch. too!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvoQRTW264r3HP6EGTRxK2w

Yes the good ole sawfly larvae (rose slugs) have been munching...

No spray here too...Not much to add since everyone has covered most everything...

Best of luck!

Took these pics years ago of a wasp taking care of some rose slug business...

I was very lucky to get these shots...

Okay, maybe I should not resent all these wasps frequenting my balcony garden at this time. Perhaps they are doing the good work I can't see...

Just an FYI but neem oil is not a detergent. It is a plant based horticultural oil and has been in use for 100's of years and is considered quite safe and fully organic. It also has miticidal properties and some degree of fungicidal activity as well. Can be used in complete safety indoors. A pretty handy tool for any gardener and especially rose gardeners. Neem is the active ingredient in Green Light's Rose Defense, the only product used in my garden other than Sluggo.

I get them on my roses from time to time. I just pinch the leaves between my thumb and fingers and crush them. End up with a harmless green residue on my fingers. They do some damage, but not enough to affect blooming as far as I can tell.

I love that you photo'd the wasp, @jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6 I do that too. Here's a wasp on a penstemon, looking for a little snack.

I saw similar damage on a couple of my roses. Upon inspection I found these guys. This is not the typical league slug damage I see in my garden. Usually I get the smaller ones that just scrape the surface of the leaf, without making holes. Those are still emerging I think.