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What's eating my roses and other plants, small webs but can't see any evidence of spider mites?

4 replies

Itcantbetrue · 17/05/2025 19:47

Thanks over someone roses there are small webs but also on some other plants. The best thing I've found similar is spider mites but I can't see any evidence of spiders

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FluffyChickenBehind · 18/05/2025 04:19

Really hard to answer this without photos, loads of things eat roses. Usually spider mites cause the rose to discolour rather than have chunks taken out of the leaves. Also bare in mind that spider mites are less than 1mm wide so unless you have very good eyesight you'll probably struggle to see them.

Also, when you say eating, are the leaves almost totally decimated, or are there just a few bits taken out here and there? A few bits is usually nothing to worry about, newer roses especially are usually bred to be disease resistant so they can tolerate a few nibbles here and there. If the whole plant is being taken back to the stem that's a different issue, and could even be things like rabbits or deer. You mention other plants but you may need to be more specific with that as that would also potentially help to figure out the culprit.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/roses/frequently-asked-questions Check here for some common problems, for example rose sawfly. If you click on their names it will take you to methods on how to deal with them.

Rose problems: frequently asked questions / RHS

Rose problems: frequently asked questions / RHS

Roses seem to suffer from more than their fair share of problems. It is probably partly because this much-loved plant is so widely grown, and often in formal rose borders or gardens so that any problems are soon noticed. That said, some of the older cu...

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/roses/frequently-asked-questions

Itcantbetrue · 18/05/2025 18:51

@FluffyChickenBehind thanks it's hard to describe I see two colors of green fly there but also these small webs

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FluffyChickenBehind · 18/05/2025 19:26

Itcantbetrue · 18/05/2025 18:51

@FluffyChickenBehind thanks it's hard to describe I see two colors of green fly there but also these small webs

Green flies of two colours sound more like they could be aphids at the winged stage (later adult stage), they come in various shades of green and brown but all similar body shapes (with a larger rear end compared to their head), even though some will not have wings and will be very small when they have just hatched. They're usually about 1-2mm big. Small webs could be spider mite, but also could just be spiders which I often find on my own roses. Usually spider mites are a bigger problem in greenhouses/indoors, the latter of which is usually not an ideal place to keep roses anyway (they prefer more humidity, but not directly sprayed leaves as this can spread disease like blackspot). See: www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/indoor-plants-sap-feeding-insects . Where are you growing these roses?

The weird thing is neither of these creatures usually 'eat' roses, as in, you wouldn't be noticing any bites out of any of the leaves, though they do both feed on the sap. As I say, spider mites you usually just end up with discolouration and eventually general weakening of the plant (early leaf drop), and aphids suck the sap from roses usually at points of new growth (new leaves, rose buds), which can lead to deformed leaves/buds and restricted growth in the future, also a sticky and shiny residue left on leaves with bad infestations, but not noticeably 'eaten' leaves.

Again, if the damage is minor and your rose is outside, then aphids usually get eaten fairly quickly so you can physically remove the ones you can see and the problem should sort itself quickly without much further intervention. So long as you are not overly reliant on pesticides and have killed all their natural predators. With spider mites, if it is them, I would again suggest moving your rose outside, especially if you are in the UK with our current weather atm. If you can't do that for whatever reason, there are suggestions to deal with them here: https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/glasshouse-red-spider-mite

I probably can't help more without photos and more context at this point I'm afraid.

Glasshouse red spider mite / RHS

Glasshouse red spider mite / RHS

Glasshouse red spider mite is a common sap-feeding mite that can cause mottled leaves and early leaf loss on a wide range of greenhouse and garden plants. It is also known as two-spotted spider mite.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/glasshouse-red-spider-mite

Itcantbetrue · 24/05/2025 07:57

@FluffyChickenBehind thank you! No this particular rose is by the back door it gets sun later afternoon and is probably in a little micro climate higher up and in a sun trap but definitely not in a green house.ive squished what I've seen.
I don't really use chemicals however this year I've been forced to use weedkiller but only on one specific plant and I painted it on

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