Ladybugs for rose aphid
UC IPM names lady beetles among the natural enemies of rose aphids; the convergent lady beetle is the most common. It warns that ants protect the aphids from them. Bought convergent lady beetles give limited control: large numbers are needed on each plant and UC IPM expects 90% to fly away in the first 24 hours, so keep the ones that arrive by not spraying broad-spectrum products and by keeping ants off the canes.
Before you act
Everyone's first idea for aphids, and the one beneficial where buying is usually the wrong move. The ladybugs sold by the tub are convergent lady beetles collected from the wild, and UC IPM says most fly away within a day or two of release, even when aphids are plentiful. The larvae do much of the eating, and they turn up on their own wherever there are aphids. How to recognise it, what it is confused with and how to keep it around are on the full Ladybugs profile.
Other controls for rose aphid
- HoverfliesWild predator (larvae) · Wild — attract adults with open flowers
- Aphidoletes aphidimyzaPredatory midge · 1–10 /m² per release, weekly
- Soldier beetlesWild predator (larvae; some adults) · Wild — conserve; leave the beetles on the roses