We have had the perfect weather conditions to bring out the bugs this spring. While many roses look hardy, a close inspection may reveal a heavy population of aphids lunching on the next set of buds.
Take a few minutes and carefully examine your roses and flowering shrubs for these hungry creatures. Aphids may be green, yellow, brown, red or black depending on the species and the plants they feed on. A few species appear waxy or woolly due to the secretion of a waxy white or gray substance over their body surface. All are small, pear-shaped insects with long legs and antennae. Most species have a pair of tubelike structures called cornicles projecting backwards out of the hind end of their body. The presence of cornicles distinguishes aphids from all other insects.
A simple sharp hose down first thing in the morning will go a long way toward eradicating them. Keeping your nitrogen use down to the minimum when fertilizing is another approach to take.
Always start with simple measures first, least chemically invasive. Ladybugs and parasitic wasps are both natural predators of the aphid. They will help lower the population. You don't want to kill them too!
This year, also because of the rain, I have been using Bayer Rose and Shrub systemic to treat for bugs and for black spot - another temperamental condition that comes with a lot of rain. You also get a dose of fertilizer with this water-it-in treatment. If you are not having success the natural way, this is a product to consider:
http://www.bayeradvanced.com/rose-flower-care/products/all-in-one-rose-flower-care
Keeping them growing,
Lyn
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