A rose aphid is a small sap sucking insect that is green, brown, or pink in color and measures approximately 2.5mm in length. The insects are found in clusters and can be winged or wingless.
Leaving aphid infestations untreated can cause deformed flowers, wilting of shoots, and even defoliation of the plant.
Due to their prolific breeding, their numbers can increase quickly during Spring and Summer. Aphids multiply their colony seemingly overnight during the warmer months by producing live young that develop into adults within weeks. You will not have to worry about rose aphids attacking other plants in your garden since they only inhabit roses.
🐛 Aphids in various stages. Attacking and damaging:
1. Roses are their favorite flower, as well as raspberries and currants.
2. The aphids colonize the top shoots, flower buds and under the leaves.
3. The attacked leaves will twist, then they turn yellow and die.
4. Shoots stop growing and flower buds bloom later.
5. The resulted flowers are of poor quality and fragrance free.
6. Pest poop contains sugars that are highly appreciated by ants. Therefore, ants start protecting the aphids, and sometimes they carry them to the healthy branches.
7. When it is not eaten by ants, the Capnodium salicinum fungus starts growing on the aphid’s poop – a black mucus will occur on the leaves surface.
❌ How it can be prevented:
1. Keeping roses in a state of good health will give them a higher resistance to pests.
2. Clean and burn the affected branches, rake the leaves and other debris from around the plant and destroy the compost by burning it.
3. Reducing the pest’s biological reserve will severely reduce attack intensity in the next year.
✅ How to combat with bio methods:
1. Planting lavender in the vicinity of roses will reduce aphid attack.
2. In small gardens with not too many roses, aphids can be removed by hand – crush them using your fingers.
3. Protect the ladybugs in the garden, which are high consumers of aphids.
4. Earwigs are also predators of aphids.
5. Spraying coke over the aphid colony can sometimes be effective in getting rid of them.
6. Spraying soap and pepper over the roses can also remove aphids.
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