What's eating you...

Winged and wingless aphids. The white flecks are the
skins from aphids that molted.

I don't know about your little piece of the world, but my little garden is now a thriving metropolis of aphids. They started appearing about a month or two ago and now are all over the place.

Believe it or not, there are quite a few different types and colors of aphids. They can be green, red, brown, yellow or black in color. Most of them are wingless, but they do sometimes have wings so they can fly to a different host plant if food becomes scarce.

As far as damage is concerned, aphids generally not too destructive. They can in large numbers, stunt your plant's growth and curl or yellow the leaves. I believe the worst thing is that aphids secrete a honeydew while they are feeding which is a clear sticky residue. The honeydew attracts ants and can be a host for 'black sooty mold'. Personally, I think my plants look better without ants or 'black sooty mold' all over them.

The easiest and least expensive way to remove aphids from your plant is to aim the garden hose at them. As I mentioned, most of them don't have wings, so they fall off the plant and can't get back up. If your aphids favorite food is your newly emerging rose buds, make sure you hose the plant in the morning so it has time to dry. You don't want to trade an aphid problem for a mildew or black spot problem!

If you have a mildew or black spot problem already or you don't want to use the hose, here's another solution. Your local garden center will have 'insecticidal soap'. These will contain animal fats and/or plant oils which will suffocate the aphids. There are several brands available, the store staff will be able to tell you which brand they carry.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm heading out to garden with my hose!