Heads up – 1Garden.com contains affiliate links and products. Happy gardening!

Search
Close this search box.
1Garden.com Main Logo 250x73
Search

Advertisement

Please note that we earn a commission for products that are purchased through some of the links presented in this article. Thank you for supporting 1Garden.com

Most common pest to find on your Rose plant / Rosebush – Pests in the Rose flower

You can often spot bugs and insects on your roses; however, some can cause severe damage if left to their own devices. We wanted to highlight the four main types of pest you will likely find on your rose flowers and cause the main problems.

Table of Contents

If your Rose flowers have symptoms not mentioned here, check out our pest disease section! The flowers are the most beautiful part of our roses, so we know you want them in tip-top condition!

| Most common pest to find on your Rose plant / Rosebush – Pests in the Rose flower | 1Garden.com

Cockchafer (May Bug) and Rose Chafer

How to spot if you have Cockchafer on your Rose flowers?

The rose chafer is a deadly bug to your red roses as their main diet includes flower blossom. 

You will need to be on the lookout for these around late May (early spring) and even more so if the rose chafer has been a problem before. It’s good to note that these are also underground pests, so be sure to also check the soil for their larvae. 

You may spot if you have chafer problems by the following things;

How to get rid of Cockchafers from your Rose flowers?

As the damage left by the chafer bug can be pretty devasting, you will need to get on top of these as soon as possible. 

Therefore ensure you are checking these as often as you can and following a few of the tips below.

 

Handpick off the Cockchafers

If there is a small infestation, you will be able to handpick these off (with gloves, of course). After they have picked, place in a bucket of soapy water. 

Use of Pesticides

Use pesticides if there is a large infestation and other methods don’t work. Spray the rose plant/bush every two days as it will need to cover those that will ”fly-in” problem. 

When choosing one of these, be sure to look for the following ingredients; Imidacloprid, Permethrin, Cyfluthrin, Bifenthrin, Carbaryl. 

Use of covers/netting

During the growing season, you may also find using a physical barrier is also an option, although some could say this is slightly unattractive.

Good options are a cheesecloth or floating row cover; this is a safe, non-toxic way to protect your plants from unwanted bugs.

You can take these down when the chafers are finished feeding – this will be after June.

Tortrix Moth (Cacoecimorpha pronubana and Epiphyas postvittana) (Also found hidden in the leaves)

How to spot if you have Tortrix moth on your Rose flowers?

There are almost 400 different species of tortrix moth in the UK. In the late summer and early autumn, the caterpillars, which pupate into cocoons inside the rolled leaf, will emerge. The young caterpillar feeds on the upper surface and as the moth. 

How to get rid of the Tortrix moth from your Rose flowers?

Unfortunately, there is not a huge amount to prevent the Tortrix moth from laying its eggs in your Roses in terms of prevention. 

However, the more regularly you check your roses and the earlier that you notice symptoms – the better! Some damage can be tolerated as part of the natural ecosystem, so it’s always best to try biological methods before moving onto chemical control. 

Use your hands

You can try to squeeze the bound leaves together; this will crush any caterpillars and pupae inside. Best wearing gloves!

Natural Predators

Birds, wasps and ground beetles are all-natural predators, so try to encourage them into your garden. 

Use of traps

Pheromone traps are an excellent way to monitor the moths themselves and stop the males and females from breeding. If more than 30 moths are caught a week, we would suggest spraying 10-14 days later. 

Use of Bug Killer spray

Bug Clear Ultra and Westland Resolva Bug Killer are good options if the above methods do not work.  

Thrips

How to spot if you have thrips on your Rose flowers?

These are super small flies known as thunder flies; a few species can cause damage to your garden; many feed by sucking sap from the leaves and flowers. 

The detection of thrips can be challenging; a common method is to place a white sheet underneath and gently shake the foliage; once on the paper, you can then examine. Thrips are typically most active during the months of April-September. 

How to get rid of Thrips from your Rose flowers?

Thrips are renowned for being hard to control due to living inside the bloom and buds, and the life cycle is one to two weeks, so their population rises very quickly. 

It also a good idea to always, in any case, check your roses frequently from spring onwards, roughly around once a week, so any action can be taken before a heavy infestation occurs. 

Use of Insecticides

Although we typically try to give other options instead of systematic insecticides due to the damage caused in such little time, Guard’n’AidGuard’n’Aid is a great option! It targets thrips explicitly both at their larval adults and eggs stages.

Avoid using Sticky traps

Many would recommend sticky traps. However, these are not a good idea to have up in your garden as they may catch other predators.

Capsid

How to spot if you have Capsid on your Rose flowers?

Most active during May-August, the capsid bugs are again one of many varieties, and most do not cause a significant amount of damage. 

Some may feed on the plant’s sap at the shoot tips and flower bud – although not deadly, it can reduce the aesthetic of your roses. 

How to get rid of Capsids from your Rose flowers?

Due to capsids fast-moving nature, they can be tricky to control. If there is minimal damage, this can typically be tolerated. Clean up dropped leaves and plant matter to prevent any hiding spots for the Capsids. 

Typically by the time you notice distorted leaves, it is too late to take controlled measures. The second-generation causes the most problems managing these pests should carry on well into the groaning season. Some preventatives that can be carried out on top of regularly checking your roses are below; 

Remove weeds and dead vegetation

Weeds can act as alternative host plants, so if Capsid has been a repeat problem for you, it’s good to keep on top of removing these.

Likewise, removing any dead vegetation in late winter may help destroy overwintering sites for the tarnished plant bug. 

Encourage natural predators

Encouraging birds, hedgehogs and ground beetles which are natural enemies, is also a good idea. 

Check if there’s still a problem

Before moving onto any chemical treatment, check that this bug is still a problem; most likely, they will have moved on by the time this is necessary and when serving distortion symptoms is present.  

Use Pesticides

Pyrethrin based pesticide is an excellent option to use when flowers are spent. These will require more frequent spraying than synthetics.  

Last case scenario – Use pesticides

If the above methods do not work on heavy infestations, you can move on to pesticides, Resolva Bug Killer and Bug Clear Ultra. Please be mindful that plants in flower should not be sprayed to harm pollinating insects such as bees. 

Let's go Shopping...

Products Coming Soon!