About the same time the first bud opened, I noticed little bugs on my Hansa rose. A few of them are aphids, but the others are white, and about the same size. When I shake a stem, I don't see anything flying around, so I don't know if they are whiteflies. I don't like to use pesticides, so yesterday I just tried to brush most of them off. Anyone know what they might be?
Thanks for your replies. Doesn't look like rose scale. They hide underneath the leaves, and there are only 1 or two on some of the leaves.
A consulting rosarian told me that the white on this photograph of a bud of Rosa webbiana could be aphid carcasses.
A picture would be very useful. I am still trying to figure out what exactly you are describing, f66. Anyway, Laurie has a point there - those aphid shells are often confused for other bugs because they do not look like aphids at all. You should be able to tell with a magnifying glass. And, being a "shell of their original", they do not move.
Yes, Laurie, that is exactly what they look like. Thanks so much for the picture. Good to know it's not another bug.
