hello, Lauri, what a beautiful desert rose! I would probably use a Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol and take the little bugs off one by one. sue

Hello Lauri,
Find some lady Beetles or larve from them,they will eat all the bugz you have.
I always use them,because i dont want to use pesticides.

greetings Michael/the netherlands

They look like aphids and ladybugs will make short work of them. I buy them by the thousands. See if any of your local nurseries sell them or you can order them online with overnight or 2 day shipping. If you don't want to go that route I'd use a water, dish soap and rubbing alcohol mix with a cotton ball or Q-tip to wash them off. Good luck, it's a pretty plant. So far none of mine have bloomed this year.
Karyn

Well, Just recently I was at Home Depot and noticed that they sold lady bugs. Thought that a bit odd. Now I will be buying me some! Thanks for the advice from all of you. I had thought about the alchohol and q-tips, but there are just so darn many it would take forever and I would probably miss some.
Thanks again, Lauri

Lauri if you buy the ladybugs set your plant in an area with other plants, the more, the better. Release the ladybugs where you would like them to stay, at dusk. If you release them early in the day they'll most likely fly away before eating the offending insects.
Karyn

Good info! Thanks so much Karyn. Chances are I would have released them inside my poolcage where the plant is, not really thinking it through. I can only imagine... Not such a great idea. So outside, at dusk, close to other plants it is!
Lauri

Well so I went and got a bag of lady bugs and put them on my plant last night at dusk. Checked this morning ang they were still all over the plant. Now it is early evening and I went to look, and I could see ONE. Everyone else seems to have left. And all the little buggers that I got the lady bugs for are still there. What did I do wrong?
Lauri

Is there a way to isolate the plants with the bugs? Like, maybe use a terrarium or shade cloth or something to keep the plant and the bugs together so that the bugs have a chance to find the feast? If the bugs doesn't work, then it is back to insecticide.