How to Keep Beetles Off of Rose Bushes

The bright colors and delicate scents of roses attract a lot of attention --- not all of it the kind you want. While the vibrant blooms can draw comments from admiring neighbors, they also attract hordes of hungry, buzzing beetles intent on devouring your prized plants. Unfortunately, controlling beetles can prove difficult, forcing gardeners to turn to multiple techniques to try to combat the invaders. Successful protection often utilizes a mixture of physical, chemical and natural barriers and solutions.

Carbaryl-based insecticide
Fine netting
Beetle traps
Milky spore powder
Beneficial nematodes

Instructions

- 1
  Spray the roses with a carbaryl-based insecticide. Follow the directions on the product label exactly. Multiple types of beetle-fighting insecticides exist, but the rose-eating June, Japanese and cucumber beetles all succumb to carbaryl.
- 2
  Cover the plants with a fine-mesh net. Make sure the holes in the netting are small enough that the beetles cannot pass through them.
- 3
  Install beetle traps at least 50 feet away from your bushes. The beetle traps attract and capture adult beetles, although they can also bring extra beetles to your area. Empty the traps frequently, as the smell of dead beetles repels living specimens.
- 4
  Apply milky spore powder and beneficial nematodes to your soil in August or September. Follow the directions on the product labeling. Grubs, the larval stage of the rose-eating beetles, hatch in the ground toward the end of summer. Milky spore and nematodes kill the grubs before they have a chance to grow into full-born beetles.

When to Plant Roses

What Can You Do to Get Beautiful Roses?

Rose Garden