| Aphids are most likely the small green bugs you find on rose buds. Aphids prefer tender new leaves and love newly opening flower buds. You can squish them between your fingers, or wash them off with a strong stream of water from the hose. Aphid populations seem to double overnight - one day the plant is fine and the next day there seem to be dozens of these soft-bodied sucking insects all over the buds and tender stems of roses. Aphids bare live young that are capable of bearing live young almost immediately. You can have several generations of aphids feeding on the same plant part. Try hosing them off. If that doesn't work, use an Insecticidal Soap. |
