A few, or a hundred, aphids, are not a problem.

It very likely is an animal. Deer, rabbits, large birds, or squirrels. Consider the height off the ground, and look for tracks if there is any bare ground in the vicinity. Deer will usually take growth tips as well as buds. Rabbits will usually strip young leaflets, leaving the leaf stem. Surprisingly, squirrels will sometimes climb rose plants and eat flower buds during the first flush.

I had the same thing happen to my potted roses on the front balcony of my house. My Savoy Hotel had 5 big fat buds one day, and the next day, just one! Must have been a squirrel or a bird (no deer around here, or rabbits, as far as I know). I will definitely appreciate that one bud when it blooms...

Judith

Since it is a climber I'm assuming that the culprit is not a low to the ground critter like rabbits. Do you have deer around? They are the most likely suspect. How high were the buds? If they were above six feet it was probably not deer which leaves squirrels. I have never seen or heard of birds that eat rose buds.

Deer. Rose buds are like candy to them.

Thanks, all, for confirming my first thought that it must have been an animal. The buds were about 4 feet off the ground. Deer is a possibility. We saw one next door a couple of weeks ago. We have a fence, but it's only 4 ft high. I am thinking squirrel might be more likely, though. I'll take some steps to try to warn them off, and hope to get another flush of buds.

And thanks to michaelg for reassurance about the aphids. I will just leave them alone for now.

Deer. That's exactly what they do - snip the buds off like they've been cut. You're lucky because they'll eat the tender new growth, too. I disagree slightly with one of the posts, because when this happens at the top of a 5-6 ft rose with no damage whatsoever elsewhere - it has to be deer. I've personally seen one in the act. :(

I had a deer get a new rose I've been waiting to see bloom! It got a bud just opening and a cluster of 4-5 buds not showing color yet. Just last night.

Stupid ole deer.

Meanwhile, they've left my veggie garden alone, and I noticed that garden smells heavily of basil (when it didn't before). So I put a potted basil right by my new rose's foliage, lol.