posted
There are teeny tiny little fast moving bugs on my rose flowers....they are longer than wide and a brown color. Fast little suckers. When I cut the roses I have to wash them off. Like I said they are itty bitty fast moving things....do they harm the roses at all?
Catlover
* * * * Plants: 7129 | From: California | Registered: Mar 2003
| Seeded: 68.66.244.5
If so it is Macrodactylus Subspinosus or more commonly know as the Rose Chafer. Yes these critters can do quite a bit of damage to your roses. They eat away at the flowers and unopened buds. The best course of attack on these nasty little critters would be the use of a systemic insecticide called Merit. It would be applied at the base of the plant and it comes up through the roots. It will not harm any benifical insects. This application usually takes at least a week to become effective. There may be some other ways not envolving insectides, but other then picking them off by hand I do not know of any.
posted
Nice try but Nope.....not the rose chafer....WAY, WAY smaller.
Let me see....if you took a fine point pen and made a quick scratch mark on the page....that is the width of this insect...then it is approx. one to one and a half mm. long. They are teeny, tiny....and FAST, soft bodied.....almost microscopic.
I have seen them on other peoples roses as well. If you were to shake the rose and they actually fell out there may be 25 or so. They hang on tight.
* * * * Plants: 7129 | From: California | Registered: Mar 2003
| Seeded: 68.66.244.5
posted
Hello, How small are they?> could they be thrips? Thrips are very tiny often live inside of flower blooms, 0.05 inch long. They cause discoloration and deformities. If you cup your hand around the bloom and exhale it will stir them up.
I would not use merit for their control. I prefer using BotaniGard with brown sugar in the spray mix. Brown sugar works as a feeding stimulant. I would not use merit for thrips control, and the jury is still out how merit effects beneficials. We have seen impact on predatory mite populations and possibly some on the predatory true bugs. Also merit is being over used and resistance is starting to show.
If you had a better description it might help. How long are they? how many legs? Any antenna visible?
* * * * The Buglady Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com Educating the world... one bug at a time Plants: 435 | From: PA | Registered: Jan 2004
| Seeded: 205.188.116.71
posted
ok as i was typing my reply, you got a reply in.. I am thinking they are thrips. They are attracted to blue so if you use blue sticky cards they will stick and you will be able to see them for ID.
* * * * The Buglady Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com Educating the world... one bug at a time Plants: 435 | From: PA | Registered: Jan 2004
| Seeded: 205.188.116.71
posted
Nope...not thrips...wayyyyyy to big. No evidence of damage. Hard to shake loose, but wash off. I will search around for a magnifying glass to see if I can get number of legs or antennae etc. Think SMALL!!!!
quote:if you took a FINE POINT pen and made a quick scratch mark on the page....that is the width of this insect...then it is approx. one to one and a half mm. long. They are teeny, tiny....and FAST, soft bodied.....almost microscopic.
Small like a red spider mite size....it isn't a red spider mite...seen those and the webbing...there is NO webbing and they are wayyy thinner. They crawl really fast. Elongated, thin, almost microscopic size. I can see legs on a red spider mite but these are really tiny!!! Probably closer to 1 mm length.
* * * * Plants: 7129 | From: California | Registered: Mar 2003
| Seeded: 68.66.244.5
posted
they may be immature thrips...they are very small
* * * * The Buglady Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com Educating the world... one bug at a time Plants: 435 | From: PA | Registered: Jan 2004
| Seeded: 152.163.252.161
* * * * The Buglady Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, www.bugladyconsulting.com Educating the world... one bug at a time Plants: 435 | From: PA | Registered: Jan 2004
| Seeded: 152.163.252.161
posted
smaller, skinnier than the rose midge.....and brown. I haven't seen any pix of immature thrips.
Have lived here for two years and no evidence of thrips. I need a digital camera. I will fill you in with any more info I get when I find the darn mag. glass! Wish I had a microscope!
* * * * Plants: 7129 | From: California | Registered: Mar 2003
| Seeded: 68.66.244.5
Found the mag. glass but it didn't help at all. They are no more then 1mm long, brown and fast moving.
There are aphids...large and small...little green ones but these are wayyyyyyyyy smaller!
They are not all over the plant....they are just inbetween the petals of the rose. When you cut the flower off the bush they run all over the petals I'm baffled!
* * * * Plants: 7129 | From: California | Registered: Mar 2003
| Seeded: 68.66.244.5
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