I use Bayer Vegetable and Garden spray on my hibiscus when bud drop occurs.

Pam, you overwinter it, did you pot in in fresh soil this spring? How old is the soil? It is in a pot I assume, it is usually a watering issue, it looks like it has a lot of new growth that is recent. Stop fertilizing it for now. See how it does. What made you think it had bugs? Just curious. The foliage looks beautiful. Did you repot it into a bigger pot recently? Just curious, sometimes hibiscus will grow into the new bigger pot and not bloom til it's roots hit the bottom of the pot. Hope it blooms soon for you.

great questions butterfly4u! I lifted the plant from old to new slightly larger planter with additional new soil....I haven't fertilized it for at least a month or more. Bugs??? from reading about the most common and likely cause for bud drop...I see lots of blooms going on for a while...many which drop off....so thats my story....oh well...time may be the solution....thanks

Time isn't likely to provide a solution because Mother Nature always sides with the hidden flaw. IOW - being proactive is the best route to a fix.

Aborted buds are caused by heat stress, root congestion, using bloom booster fertilizers or any fertilizers with the % of P listed in the product being equal to or higher than the % of N, over-watering or a compacted soil, thrips, or hibiscus midge, with the first three cultural issues being the primary suspects.

Hibs need to be repotted (more extensive than potting up) yearly for best performance. Repotting means removing all old soil and pruning heavy and problem roots, which makes room for the fine root work horses that do most to sustain the plant. This thread (click me) will be helpful.

I just posted this on another thread: The plant wants minimal doses of P, not massive over-doses. The average plant uses about 6X as much N as P - hibs use even more N than that in relation to P. Bloom booster fertilizers simply aren't appropriate for use on containerized plants, and often aren't appropriate in the garden - especially for Hibiscus. The market for these fertilizers was spawned by nothing more than advertising hype.

Keep pots shaded and plants in the ground mulched, to keep root temps from rising to bud-aborting highs.

Let me know if you want to know how to check for midges and thrips.

Al