Sticky Roses in the Spring and What to Do

Q. I have roses with sticky leaves from the aphids feeding on them. I need to get them under control before they start to become a problem. I found some Insect and Disease Control sprays at the nursery that have worked in the past. Any opinion about them?

Aphids in the spring on rose buds, leaves and flowers suck plant "juices". From these plant juices sucking insects like these aphids release a sticky "honeydew" that full of sugar that attract ants and bees. 

A. They do work and if you’re not opposed to using insecticides then use them. If you look at the list of ingredients, those pesticides which control insects and others used for disease control contain both an insecticide as well as a fungicide. You usually do not need both ingredients.

            In climates where the humidity is high (not the Mojave Desert), rose diseases like black spot, powdery mildew and botrytis are prevalent. In these climates, it’s probably a good idea to apply a multipurpose insecticide plus fungicide spray. In our climate, diseases are less of a problem due to our lower humidity. If it were me, focus on an insect control chemical rather than a combination of two chemicals in the desert. Why apply a fungicide if you don’t need to?