How to Kill Beetles on Rose Plants
The rose plant is a popular ornamental shrub grown for its scented white, pink, red and yellow flowers. Though rose plants are hardy, they are often attacked by beetles that feed on their foliage while beetle grubs devour the plant's roots. Common beetle pests found on rose plants include the rose chafer beetle, the Japanese beetle and the Asiatic garden beetle. Kill both mature beetles and beetle grubs to protect the health and appearance of your rose plant. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Water hose
- Bucket
- Liquid dish soap or white vinegar
- Beetle pheromone trap
- Insecticides
- Milky spore bacteria powder
Instructions
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Kill the beetle pests manually in the evening when the insects are not as active. Fill a bucket with soapy water or a half-and-half mixture of vinegar and water. Put the bucket under your infested rose bush, and shake the bush vigorously. The beetles will fall off the bush and into the bucket.
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Knock off the beetles during the day when they are likely to be swarming and feeding on your rose bush. Aim your water hose at the bush, and spray it with a strong stream of water. Focus the spray on common problem areas, such as around the rose blossoms.
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Install a beetle pheromone trap. The trap will lure any beetles in the vicinity away from your rose plant and into the toxic trap. Set up the trap according to the manufacturer's guidelines, as traps have differing ranges of efficacy.
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Mist the rose bush with a permethrin- or bifenthrin-based insecticide or a natural insecticide formulated with horticultural ingredients like neem oil or rotenone. Use a product intended for garden or ornamental shrub use. Spray the insecticide solution directly onto the beetles, as well as onto all exposed foliage and blossoms on the rose plant. For best results, spray during a dry evening and avoid watering the plant for 24 hours to minimize the chance of diluting the insecticide.
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Kill the beetle grubs to prevent new beetles from replacing the mature insects you killed with the insecticide. Add milky spore bacteria powder, available from most nurseries, to the dirt beneath your rose plant. The all-natural spore powder is toxic to the grubs and will kill both current grubs and any future grubs that hatch. Apply once a year at the end of the spring season.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear a face mask and protective eyewear when applying an insecticide spray, to avoid breathing the solution.
Insecticides will kill bees that may visit your rose plant. Spray the insecticide solution during the evening when bees are not present.
