I'm not sure I get this. If warmer temperatures cause more spider mite problems than they should already have been much more prevalent in warmer zones. Are spider mites a bigger problem in say zone 9 than they are in zone 6 now?

Then theres that pesky fact that from the beginning of 1997 until August 2012, there was no discernible rise in aggregate global temperatures.

"In mild winter weather, twospotted spider mites continue to feed and lay eggs, although development in the winter is much slower than in the summer."

"Development is rapid in hot, dry weather. Each generation may take as many as 20 or as few as 5 days to mature."

http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG136/mite4.html
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https://www.google.com/#q=evidence+for+global+warming

Here is a link that might be useful: Google search - evidence for global warming

Here in Florida, spider mites are more of a problem in the spring when it is very dry and starting to get hot. The rest of the year, I never see them. In fact, I usually don't see them in the spring unless I buy a new rose and introduce them into the garden. I believe there are spider mite predators in the garden that kill them eventually if I just keep spraying them with water. Here spider mites aren't a big problem. Other than blackspot, heat, nematodes, and lack of soil fertility, chilli thrips are the biggest problem. I'd worry about global warming bringing those north if I were you.

I wondered where they found those odd rose varieties they used in the study until I noticed it was from the Middle East. I wish they used all one color of rose so we could tell if the color was the reason some varieties resisted the spider mites better, or if it was something else.

Man Made Global Warming? The 1975 Time Magazine had that famous (infamous) cover about Man Made Global COOLING..And as Mzstich mentioned, there is another pesky little fact about the "global" heat wave period during the middle ages that has yet to be rationalized away....There are real things to worry about. I'll not loose any sleep over this one, but you all go ahead.........Maryl

Henry...

Another alarmist title ... meh.

I guess we can plant these roses in our gardens to let us know that conditions are getting right for spider mites to be active. Kind of like a "canary in the mine". Right now, I have deVink's 'Cinderella' performing that task. If I see and incipient spider mite infestation on that rose, I know it's time to start washing my roses down to both cure the infestation on 'Cinderella' and to avoid infestations on the other roses in the garden.

Thanks for adding to the list of roses that can perform the same function.
Smiles,
Lyn