Soldier beetles and rose aphids
UC IPM lists soldier beetles among the natural enemies that can rapidly reduce rose aphid numbers, and notes that several species feed on aphids and are very common on roses. Many people mistake them for pests; the dark splotches they sometimes leave on leaves are droppings, not damage. Keep ants off the canes and knock colonies off with a strong spray of water early in the day rather than spraying insecticide.
Before you act
Long, soft-winged orange-and-black beetles that crowd onto goldenrod and other late-summer flowers. They do not damage plants, bite or sting. The larvae hunt insect eggs and larvae in leaf litter and soil, and several species eat aphids as adults. How to recognise it, what it is confused with and how to keep it around are on the full Soldier beetles profile.
Other controls for rose aphid
- HoverfliesWild predator (larvae) · Wild — attract adults with open flowers
- LadybugsWild predator · Nothing to release — conserve the ones already there
- Aphidoletes aphidimyzaPredatory midge · 1–10 /m² per release, weekly