Greenfly

Discussion in 'Roses' started by Meomye, May 22, 2025.

  1. Meomye

    Meomye Gardener

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    My roses are covered in greenfly but because I get lots of visiting birds I do not want to use a pesticide, apart from spraying with the hose or squishing is there anything else I can do? :scratch: tia
     
  2. wiseowl

    wiseowl Admin 24/7 Staff Member

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    APHIDS

    Good morning @Meomye thick colonies of insects found on the new shoots and buds in early spring and sometimes autumn. They suck into the shoots, can distort the flowers and leaves, also leaving a sticky residue on the leaves. This attracts ants which ‘milk’ the aphids for the ‘honey dew’ residue. Ants move the insects to other parts of the bush spreading them wider. Squirt the insects off with water jet from the garden hose, or spray soapy water over the insects. Rub off small colonies with fingers. Natural predators will help reduce these pests - Parasitic Wasp, Ladybirds and their nymphs, hoverflies, and birds all control these insects very well. Other options are ’Pest-Oil’ (not white oil) or ‘Eco-Pest Oil’ (a vegetable oil) which all coat the insect with oil and suffocate them, soapy water does also. If in plague proportions use ‘Confidor’ which is of low toxicity.
    Nature does a lot to help reduce aphids – wind blows them off, rain washes them off, but the little predators are our best friends in the rose garden.
     
  3. Butterfly6

    Butterfly6 Total Gardener

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    I usually leave mine and find nature soon intervenes. I’m not convinced that they do much damage. My Desdemona buds were all covered with greenfly but are now in full glorious flower.
     
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    • Tidemark

      Tidemark Total Gardener

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      I just leave mine to get on with it. My roses were “standing room only” with aphids a few weeks ago. Now they are rattling with ladybirds and there are only aphid husks to be seen. Plus the bluetits and so on have lots of tiny mouths to feed and they are busy clearing the rose buds too. Yes, the aphids left a lot of honeydew on the rose plants but it is due to rain soon and I imagine that will clean most of it off. Although we do have ants in the garden, I haven’t been aware of them milking the aphids much at all this year. No idea why.
       
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      • Butterfly6

        Butterfly6 Total Gardener

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        I haven’t seen as many ants either @Tidemark I wonder if the wet autumn-winter has reduced numbers?
         
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        • waterbut

          waterbut Gardener

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          Spray with water and liquid soap solution. You will have to look up the ratio as I made mine to strong once and killed the bugs but the rose also lost all its leaves. The rose recovered the next year.
           
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          • Busy-Lizzie

            Busy-Lizzie Total Gardener

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            • Ladybird4

              Ladybird4 I'm a gardener. What's your super-power?

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              I have rescued several of these little 'babies' from the top of my dustbin - suspect they have fallen out of the bird cherry growing near by - and I have not as yet noticed too many aphids.
              Ladybird baby.jpg
               
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              • Escarpment

                Escarpment Total Gardener

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                I have masses of them too, they keep hitching a ride into the house on me. I discovered one when it was tickling my neck, and another when it started crawling over my glasses.
                 
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