I ususally wear gloves in the garden, and I just take my fingers from under the bud up, and knock them off. I do the same thing to the leaves. If they are really attacking I use the hose.

A balance seems to come, but if you use an insecticide the good guys seem to go first.

Sammy

Hi Davy --

Neat blog!

Aphids DO damage blooms, if they're left there. But generally speaking, hot weather dooms them, and there's an army of predators out to get them. Ladybugs, of course, but others, as well.

I'm always happy to see spring aphids show up.
When they do, I know that the little gray birds that eat them can't be far behind.
In about 2 days they gobble up all of the aphids, and depart.

Hummingbirds love aphids, too (and whitefly). Aphids and whitefly are Hummingbird Candy.

And of course, you can always knock aphids to the ground (where they die) with a strong jet of water.

Jeri

I haven't really noticed that they damage roses, at least you'd have to have a lot of aphids to do damage. I remember once I walked over to my neighbors yard because her landscape roses looked funny. They were completely consumed with aphids, I've never seen anything like that. I've never sprayed for aphids, except for just a hose spray with water. And now I don't use any insecticides at all, I think the good bugs take care of it.

I do have a problem with my milkweed, which I grow for Monarch caterpillars. They seem to suffer greatly from aphids and I try to go over almost every day to wipe the aphids off. I do it with my bare hands and they turn yellow. I think they may be different types of aphids. If I don't, the plants pretty much die.

It has been my experience that aphids can very well suck the life of very small or unhealthy roses, especially if you or neighbors have sprayed regularly in the past and the ecosystem is out of whack.
It takes a while to re-establish a balance, but it is well worth the wait. Aphid population can be kept down by frequent spraying with a strong stream of water. When the aphid pressure is high, I have gone out 2-3 times a day, spraying down suceptible roses, paying particular attention to the tender new growth.
It is too cool to watch the tables turn, the balance achieved somewhat.

I hate aphids too :-). What interests me is where that "army of predators" is exactly. I go around my yard squashing aphids manually every day, have been doing it for a month now. How many ladybugs have I seen? Two. I bought and released them in previous years and didn't see any marked difference to the aphid population. Ladybugs only wanted to stay in my yard for a few hours anyway. Very frustrating.
Masha

In twenty years of growing roses, I've never used pesticides, have had zillions of aphids (the roses, actually, not I) and have never noticed they did any particular damage. When I'm really annoyed at them I aim a jet of water from the hose or knock them off with my fingers.

We have lots of ladybugs and wasps, too, and yet the aphid population never drops to zero, so you have to learn a measure of tolerance for them. Our garden is lovely, even so, and the roses are thriving. Keep up your new no-spray policy (or less-spray, or whatever your resolution is) and I think you'll be happy with it, and your roses as well.

Melissa

I'll take an aphid any day over a thrip. The aphids do far less damage to my roses than thrips.
In her book, "The Organic Rose Garden", Liz Druitt lists several plants that seem to be good rose companions. I think they do in fact help ward away some pests.
From her list, I especially like to grow rosemary, thyme, & alyssum in the area around the roses.

Randy

One more thought.
I used to see lots and lots of lady bugs and bumble bees in my garden.
Then, a couple of years ago, a new neighbor moved in right next door to me.
He has an arsenal of chemical weapons and isn't afraid to use them.
North Korea would really be dangerous if this neighbor ever decides to share his weapon technology outside his "borders".
Wonder if that is what happened to the ladybugs & bumble bees?
I still have lots and lots of lizards (love them), but I rarely see toads anymore & they used to be everywhere.

Randy

Randy, I would wager a guess that your weapons neighbor zapped your bugs with his.
I believe that same thing happened to zap the butterfly population in my garden last summer. The farmer sprayed something on the alfafa field across the way, maybe "catepillar control" of some sort.
Just lovely.

Masha,
Could it be that insects have habitat requirements that your garden and surrounding areas don't offer? I know the following example doesn't explain why you can't keep ladybugs in the garden (but here goes): during the cold times of year I'm forever turning up hibernating ladybugs hiding out in the leaf litter and weeds that superabound in our garden. Is your garden too tidy? Or is there some other specific problem?
Melissa

I can tell you what damage they do. It is slight and cosmetic. If a shoot is totally encrusted for a while (maybe a week), when it grows out, you may find leaves that are undersized, cupped or wavy, and mottled in different shades of green.

In my garden over decades, aphids have always nearly disappeared with the first flush of bloom.

If you look at an infested shoot, you may see a variety of critters that are eating or parasitizing them. These include ladybugs and larvae, lacewings and larvae, syrphid fly larvae, and tiny wasps. The creepy-crawlies are almost all good guys.

You can use targeted soap spray if predators haven't showed up yet, or just squish them off.

Melissa,
Yes, my garden is tidy - my mow and blow gardeners mow and blow everything away. However, mulch stays (mostly), so I don't know :-). I have heard that ladybugs need access to water, so perhaps I could get a bird bath. I don't know what else it could be.
Thanks for your suggestions,
Masha