Zuzu....
Hand picking doesn't work simply because the bugs are working on all of your other roses while you are picking bugs off of one rose at a time.
I don't grow once bloomers, unless the bloom period starts after July 1 and I am too old to be climbing ladders to disbud climbers. I don't miss them at all.
For your garden, I would suggest that you start disbudding the roses that you know have thick petal substance as soon as they start budding out because those are the last blooms to open in spring. Then when the curculios arrive in your garden, you've already taken care of a lot of the bushes and can work on the roses that have given you your first flush.
The first disbudding is what takes the longest amount of time and labor. After that one is done, it's just a nightly chore to catch the new buds. For me, this year it's only going to be for about 4 weeks because it took the curculios so long to find my garden.
Lyn
