Pest eating my Roses

What a shame, i use rose clear on my roses, every year as soon as the leaves start to come on the plants i spray every 2wks and it stops black spot, black and green fly aswell, and i dont get any other pest on them at all, the only thing that ruins them is the very heavy rain and strong winds. it is called Rose Clear and i hope if you get some it helps yours if not this year it should work next year if you start start early spraying them.

They're not Japanese beetles are they? I don't have anything like this on my roses and I can't see the beetles very clearly on your photos. Try googling Japanese beetle and see if yours are similar. Other than that... sorry can't help.

Thank you for your comments. I have just googled the Japanese beetle and it really does look as though it could be that. Not much hope of getting rid entirely as they breed so fast apparently, and bury down into the soil for the winter. They also give off a pheromone that attracts other beetles to the feeding site they've found. I am off out now to see if I can find some sort of control spray before they decimate any more roses. Thank you Digginfit for your help.

sorry for pressing like didn't mean to Pesky little blighters
spoiling your roses there is always some d**n thing or other isn't there .....:((

Can't win !!

I hope you'll be able to get rid of them. Now I think of it one of my roses has deformed flowers. I wonder if it's got these things. I'll have to take a look ... if it ever stops raining ...

They seem to get in as soon as the flower opens Hywel. But I expect yours is called by insects too. I have sprayed all the ones I can see with bug spray, going back in a minute to see if its killed them.

hope you manage to kill them Cinders, they are ruining your roses

Certainly are. What with that and the rain.!!

rain, don't mention it, its pouring down here,

I'm totally confused - I thought Japanese Beetle wasn't here. I know it likes hot climates, so its a problem in parts of America, and you can say a lot about our weather, but hot wouldn't be a word you'd use, specially not this year. On the other hand, I don't know what these beetles are... gonna do a bit of research, see what I can find.
Cinderella, they look to be shiny and completely brown, is that right?
Course, if the weather keeps up like this, maybe the little beggars will drown...

I have them too, Cinders. they are chomping away on my clems but have not found my rose bush. not sure if they are the ones doing the chomping or if it's their offspring (larvae)...I pick and squish. yucky but effective. have to check for them several times a day at first. They seem to peak at this time in early summer. good luck. will stay tuned to see what Bamboo has found.

Lori, you're in Canada, aren't you? I'd expect them to be there - is it Japanese Beetle, or do these ones look like yours? So far I've come up blank re the UK, but still looking...

thanks Bamboo... I suppose I should pause and get a pic of them...but the squish impulse is so strong...then there's nothing left to photograph! lol...oh well ..here goes..I think there will be a few lingering. They are not Japanese Beetles...but I don't know what they are. The Japanese beetles are green...mottled ...are they not? wonder if they'd be deterred by insecticidal soap?
After a closer look and some pics...it's clear to me that the beetles I have are different. pics on my page. Sadly, yours look much more like the JB's than mine do...still checking.

Well that's the funny thing - been looking at Japanese beetle images on Google - most are iridiscent green and brown, but a few labelled with that name are not, they're just plain brown, rather like the ones in this pic. So even trying to establish exactly what a Japanese beetle looks like isn't easy... I know that Google's Images are not always accurate.

Sorry I've been away for an hour or so, my beetles do have a green head, but they dont have those white dash's round the edge of the body like the ones on google. I have been round and squished most of them but will see if I can find one to stay still and I will take a nother picture Bamboo.

Have just added two more pictures of the critters !

http://insects.about.com/od/insectpests/a/control-japanese-beetles.htm Not sure if this is of help...just tried "early summer" as a search factor.

Hmm.. I am having second thoughts about them now, I am not sure it is JB. Looking at the pictures again, mine are all brown except for the head... Lets see what Bamboo comes up with.
Thanks for your help Lori.

http://insects.about.com/od/insectpests/p/attbeneficials.htm

I'm going to look for an ID for the beetles on my clems. good luck Cinderella.

Good pics, Cinderella - and hooray, found it. Seems its a garden chafer beetle. And they feed, as you've discovered, on flowers and leaves. Difficult to treat the adults, most control is aimed at their larvae, which feed underground on roots, often in lawns, sometimes in borders.
Looked at your pic, Lori - totally different looking thing, isn't it. No idea what that is either ...

Yes I've just found it as well Bamboo. Looks like it might be a difficult job to eradicate it. I will ask about it when next go to the GC and see if they can recommend something to treat the lawn, but the borders might be more difficult, as I don't want to kill the plants as well. Thanks very much for your help.

You can get a nematode treatment for chafer grubs in lawns, applied late summer early autumn I think. Or Provado does a Lawn chafer treatment. That's probably where they're coming from, under the lawn, specially if you've noticed birds pecking at it at certain times...

I knew they liked warmer climates and were in America, but I also saw an article saying they had been found in the UK. Sadly I didn't bookmark the article. However, I hadn't spotted the white markings so I'm not convinced these are Japanese beetles. And I've done a bit more research now. Could they be garden chafers? From google and my pest book they appear to be very similar to the Japanese beetle, but don't have the white markings. Really hope you find out what these are Cinders so that you can treat appropriately! It's such a pain having 'squish' everyday - I'm having to do that with the dreaded lavander beetle not to mention the Lily beetles!

Thanks Bamboo, I shall have to do something otherwise it will get worse every year.

Isn't it great when we all reach the same conclusion. :-)

Yes, nowt like a bit of concord, Digginfit - I didn't find anything that said we'd got it here (Japanese beetle), if you find that article again, I'd be interested to know about it. There is a short list of invaders,such as Asian LongHorn Beetle, that we're expecting on our shores any time now, but this wasn't one of them...

Thanks for your input Digginfit. It is great isnt it. I think I shall treat the lawn and surrounding borders, probably with nematodes if not too expensive, in a few weeks time. Have made a note so as not to forget. In the meantime its squishing !!

I've just found out there's lavender beetle! had no idea...something else to worry about lol. Glad you've found out what the critters are Cinders. I'm no expert on insecticides, in fact I've just used one (I was desperate) for the first time on cabsid bugs, but I think a systemic insecticide would kill all stages of your beetle. After using provado on my geraniums, I covered them for a few days with a net curtain to protect bees and birds etc. Bamboo will know more about it:-)

I've never heard of a lavender beetle till today. Omg, you can't win can you. I have sprayed directly on to the beetles with Provado, but when I went back an hour or so later they werent dead, just sleepy. Just been talking to my neighbour and he has them too. He shakes them off into a bucket and kills them, but its a bit of a job.

You know what ladies, sometimes, ignorance is bliss - if you knew what was out there waiting to get your plants, you'd probably give up now. Don't worry, be happy, deal with what comes IF it comes...

Thank you HB. I've picked off all I could see today, and will treat the lawn in the late summer. Hopefully it will work and there won't be so many next year.

I think they are Rose Chafer Beetles Cinders I had a plague of them two years running they live in the grass their grubs are like vine weevil's grubs I finally got rid of them from the grass with nematodes.

Oh dear Cinders how horrid for you, hope you get rid of them, I was looking a the garden encylo the other day and the list of bugs and virus etc that can happen to your plants is frightening, best not to think about it, good luck with controlling it, keep us posted.

Thank you Neellan, I had a few last year, but this time a lot worse. Will have to deal with it in some way. I am thinking nematodes at the moment, but am going to have a word with someone at the GC next time I go to see when is the best time to do it.

I know, DD, its spoiling my roses. Will keep you posted.

Oh yuck....after reading all of your comments I am again thanking my lucky stars that I live in Scotland. So far I've never seen a lily beetle, or any of these horrid things you have on here..chafers..horrible. I know they all have their place in the great cycle of life, but honestly Cinders, like you, I'd be thinking "why do I bother". On the down side, we never seem to get any lady birds either...not in my garden anyway, so it works both ways!

Oh yuck....after reading all of your comments I am again thanking my lucky stars that I live in Scotland. So far I've never seen a lily beetle, or any of these horrid things you have on here..chafers..horrible. I know they all have their place in the great cycle of life, but honestly Cinders, like you, I'd be thinking "why do I bother". On the down side, we never seem to get any lady birds either...not in my garden anyway, so it works both ways!

Oh real shame Cinders...

Well, after spraying and squishing yesterday, I have only seen one this morning so far. But the problem will still be there I suppose, so will have to treat. No ladybirds Karen ? thats a surprise.

thanks Surreylad.

Karen, I don't want to worry you, but until 3 years ago I hadn't seen a lily beetle either, see loads now :-(

Oh, well yes, I know it's only a matter of time BA. They have reached this area apparently. I had a look on a 'lily beetle' map recently and thought.....soon they will be here :(

Oh, well yes, I know it's only a matter of time BA. They have reached this area apparently. I had a look on a 'lily beetle' map recently and thought.....soon they will be here :(

I think the time to do it is now Cinders because they pop out of the ground, mate and go back so it is next seasons grubs the nematodes dispatch, they are a bit late this year, it is usually 1st week in June they emerge -amazes me how they know!!

Ok Neellan. Off to get something on Tuesday. Clever little blighters aren't they.

Lol thats one name for them Cinders not what I called tham two years ago they were swarming out of the bank
in the end I got my Vax and sucked them up, Good job I have no neighbours they would have thought me nuts vacuuming the grass bank!! I sprayed with Nematode mixture, the following year they came on cue but less in number and hardly any since.

Oh that made me laugh Neellan. A good idea though. Nice to know that the nematodes worked. Have you sprayed it since, or only the once. I haven't seen them coming out of the grass.

It was a bit wacky but it worked lol I didn't spray again and have not seen any this year so I hope it works for you too :o)

Lol Neellan! Maybe the word spread and the threat of a Vax was sufficient to repel the little so and sos...

I guess so Bamboo the dreaded Vax the scourge of Rose Chafers :o)

Found out the beetles I have are called Rose chafers...and they are, like the JBs, in the soil until they metamorphose in June into these orange legged, bronze backed BUGS! I just squish...must admit the vax idea is a good one but my garden is too far from the house...need a very long extension cord to reach them! Good luck to one and all repelling this scourge! lol... poor beetles. NIMBY....