I use homemade insecticidal soap to control insects on my plants. Earlier this spring I had a small budworm infestation on my New Dawn. I hit it with the soap solution a few times and it took care of it. Looks like aphids in that first photo. The soap should take care of them, but you can also just knock them off with a blast of water.

The photo of the bud looks like it was attacked by budworms.

Thank you so much, the photo with the hole on the bud is where I caught the rose slug in action on an evening inspection. Ive been spraying with safers and using a concoction that i read about water, cider vinegar, dish soap and baking soda. I thought that with budworms they damage the bud not eat the entire bud ? Im sure that I am wrong. you guys are more experienced then I am. A lot of the plants all of the buds have completely disappeared

I'm hardly an expert on roses, so I could be wrong, but I thought that rose slugs eat only the leaves and not the buds? Also, rose slugs leave skeletonized leaves, eating the outer layer of the leaves. Budworms will burrow a hole into the base of the bud.

From the first photo, looks like you have aphids too.

In any event, insecticidal soap should take care of it, and the local bird population will also help with any slugs or budworms.

Is there any possibility of deer getting in and dining on the buds? I just don't see insects or snails completely devouring a rose bud and leaving nothing behind. Can't think of any other critter than deer, but possibly my imagination is limited.

I don't know what kind of environment you're gardening in and how well this would work for you. I don't do any kind of pest treatment, but do work on the soil in my garden, and have a lot of shrubs and trees that favor the presence of birds: a jungly sort of garden. I think a good bird population, plus toads and possibly other insectivorous animals, will generally keep pests down to a level you can live with. A certain amount of weeds, or "wild plants" is also good for ladybugs, which are great devourers of aphids. It takes a few years for this kind of yard environment to get established.

My guess for the entirely disappearing buds is also deer. Do you see any piles of small black pellets (deer poop) anywhere? When I plant new roses in my garden, I always put wire cages around them until they get, say, 3 feet tall and are able to survive the deer.

For pests, Melissa's comments are perfect. I spray with water, and plant a large selection of plants, and we have large shrubs which the birds love to nest in. We have very little pest problems now, except the deer! I do use "deer go away" type sprays on new roses also - deer think that rose buds are candy.

Would love to see pictures of an entire area of your garden.

Jackie

We are taking a wholistic approach to the garden, lots of wildlife birds visiting the backyard etc. Our approach is to build the soil with lots of organic matter to build strength in plants through quality of soil . We live in the city so the possibility of deer is pretty slim. Thank you for you're ideas though I appreciate you're input and help

BTW i can't seem to post pics from my phone on this site, but if any of you have a smart phone zoom in on the picture with the bud is there is a small critter on the bud, could that be the culprit ?

Robert -- You don't say WHERE you are. Are you in a very urban setting? Or is there open land around you, where Bunnies and/or deer could come in? Are you fenced? Or open? What is your climate zone? What part of the country? All that matters. One area's serious insect pest is an impossibility in another, so . . .

I think you are off to a great start. Since their wasn't much of a garden before you started one. The good guy bugs have not found you yet.

I have become a non sprayer for the last ten years and there are years that can really test your resolve. The thing that I see wrong in using organic ways to kill certain bugs. If you kill your bad bugs the good ones that eat them will not come. They go where the food is. It's not perfect by any means but it's working. This is turning into a banner year for praying mantis. I'm trying to teach myself to ruffle the plant a bit first to keep from accidentally squishing them. Nearly sat on a baby that landed on a chair. They are so small, she let me move her to a rose bush.

Anyway I could go on forever but the point is if you don't kill the aphids something will come and eat them. I have a zillion baby aphids that never make it too adult hood. I have rose midge that low and behold are being snagged with plastic cups coated with motor oil and hung by the plants. Unfortunately no bugs seem to dine on midge. So unless they are caught in spider webs this is all I can think of. This is one of my first years that I did not need to squish rose slugs. The damage began and then they were gone,

I do agree that there are some insects that are so bad I don't know what I would do. Chili thrips come to mind. If you would like to be organic I think it can be done but it takes great patience.

thank you thank you for the tips and information. Im very grateful. Jerigen: I live in the city of Toronto, pretty big city. Lots of homes near by so lage animals would defiantly be ruled out. As for other critters my neighbour was just complaining that something ate his phlox?? Maybe its the same guy? the evidence on the plants doesn't point to a nibble or a clean bite. There appears to be some damage to the growing tips of the plants. I really wanted to deal with this ASAP for a few reasons, if its Rose Midge (praying its not ) I want to try and manage it as well as I can before it gets out of hand. Also I spent a small fortune on OR Austins (having them shipped to canada is a second mortgage !!) and all of the other growers recommended on Garden Web.

Patty W: Thank you for the sage words of advice. Patience is and understanding the way nature works is something that I didn't even think of. I just saw red alert and wanted to ask you guys. Does the plastic cups work on the rose midges ? Ive never heard of that. Ive only heard drastic measures of drenching with chemicals

Well, I am glad I asked, because I'm in Southern CA -- and my bugs ain't thy bugs. So you really need folks who garden in the N.E.

I am 2 hrs away from you on the US side. Two of the photos look like midge damage on the tips. I have been killing rose midge to save my blooms for 2 years now. I use chemical treatment though. I am not sure if you could use chemical treatment in Canada. The organic way I know is Bioneem, but you have to spray on the new growth every 10 days (under 80F).

thank you thank you summersrhythm. Ill look into the bioneem. Has anyone had any luck with this product with rose midges ? Will the midges eventually kill the plant ?

You're welcome. Professor Henry had a link about rose midge treatment with bioneem......rose midge won't kill your rose plants, you just won't have any blooms.....

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Roses-732/2008/2/rose-midge-infestation.htm

Caterpillars will eat the buds -- this was my experience in the country, anyway. Some years are a lot worse than others. Maybe this has an element of wishful thinking but I do think as bushes get older, stronger, and more established there will be a bigger ratio of flowers that make it to the bloom stage.

Well i think that a rose bush with the roses eaten off is more unsightly then the cups! I ll give it a try what have i got to loose ? Caterpillars will eat the entire boom ? Wow hungry caterpillars! I have notice a lot of damage on a very mature single stemmed purple leaf sand cherry but the damage is different then the damage on the roses

I just ran out to LOWES so after a little research BIO neem is banned in Canada. I picked p two products form safers : BTK and Endall. These are for caterpillers ? Not necessarily a remedy for the ol' rose midge ? Anyone have experience with these products ? I haven't really reacted to the pests yet out of complete fear for doing the wrong thing. But I've spent the last 3 evenings reading about roses midges and am scared stiff !!!!

Has anyone tried SNS 217? its a bit pricy but if it will help solve the problem ill invest .

Hello Robertgg22

I would be really surprised if the complete removal of rose buds was being done by a rose insect, damage yes, complete removal, not so likely. Have you looked under your rose bushes to see if there are any party eaten rose buds? If there are no remnants I would think birds had plucked and taken away, Cedar Waxwings I know to my cost will eat flower buds whilst waiting for fruit to be ripe enough to eat, they are not seen much in gardens, being rather shy, but I believe they are in your location, and you can often hear them even though you cannot see them, google will tell you what they sound like. If there are partially eaten buds, or chewed bits I would think squirrel, rat or some such critter that might be hungry and can climb, voles in my experience do not climb. If you have any new rose buds forming you might put a small paper bag over them and see if the are bothered by anything.

On the other hand, your rose plants look like they are doing well, and removing the buds of young rose plants will only make them grow stronger this growing season.

Good luck with your roses

Claire - love Old Garden Roses? So do we!...join us...

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/cascadiaheritagerosesgroup/info