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Old 04-09-2005, 11:39 PM
david taylor
 
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The creature description is approximates to red spider, and the webs and
damage seem to match. I assume that the rose is growing indoors from your
comment on watering.Red spider are very destructive pests and thrive in a
dry atmosphere. If the rose is indoors a spell outside may help it recover.
I would expect the adults to be browner than you describe and there should
also be much smaller whitish juveniles on the leaves.
..
Red spider have developed resistance to a range of insecticides, commercial
growers control them with a parasitic wasp(?). Mist sprays are recommended
but you've really got to maintain a moist atmosphere from the start.
-I'm having some success with'Doff'. Dimethoate and Polysect were
ineffective on my lot.
Regards
David T

"Mercy" wrote in message
...

Maybe a few of you will remember my mini roses that were drooping - they
soon came back to life and looked gorgeous after advice I was given.
Well they're suffering again! Even though a trusted friend was looking
after them and did her best, I returned to find them looking dry and
crispy, although they seemed to have been watered as they should.

They're covered in a canopy of webs, which I assume is from a spider,
or in this case hundreds of teeny tiny spiders. Could these be
affecting the plant? They're not much bigger than a milimetre long,
with a dark brown body and light, translucent-looking legs and heads -
are there any other creatures that make webs - it's a blanket sort of
web - or are they newly-born spiders?

There are also little black dots on the leaves - is this a related
problem? I don't really want to kill them if they're spiders but there
are hundreds of them - will they affect the plant in any way? If
they're not spiders, how should I get rid of them?

I think I will take my roses with me when I go away in future...

Mercy


--
Mercy