If the sawflies are gone, just water the roses well--to encourage them to start putting out new leaves. If some of the damaged leaves look too bad, pluck them off--but I wouldn't pluck off too many. As long as there is still some green on the leaf, the plant is still doing its photosynthesis thing.

I'm serious--water! That's it. Don't go crazy hauling out fertilizers and sprays and what-not. They won't help right now--and may harm the roses!

Next spring (I've only seen sawflies/rose slug in the late spring--but maybe other regions have them at different times), keep an eye out for the teeny, tiny green "worm-like" critters often on the back side of leaves. If you don't want to squish them, do what I do--I just toss them out in the middle of my yard, figuring they will never find their way back to that rose again. You may have to do that for a week or two--but by then, the natural predators will show up and start eating up the slugs. At that point, the problem is solved for me, and I probably won't see any more rose slugs until the following spring. Like I said, I don't know if that is how they operate in all regions, however.

That's really all you need to do in the future. But water now--since it is getting cooler out, the roses may burst forth with one last cycle of growth, maybe even of bloom.

Kate

Kate, thanks so much!

I'm going to try that tip about flinging them into the yard, too. Maybe I'll toss a few onto the driveway, also, so they can meet an especially painful death under my tires or fry in the sun.

I kill sawfly larvae (in my case, Pine sawfly, on Mugo pines) with a 50/50 spray of water and isopropyl alcohol, with a squirt of mild dishwashing liquid (like Dawn) as a sticker.

Kills them dead instantly!

I kill sawfly larvae (in my case, Pine sawfly, on Mugo pines) with a 50/50 spray of water and isopropyl alcohol, with a squirt of mild dishwashing liquid (like Dawn) as a sticker.

Kills them dead instantly!

Do sawfly larvae emerge in the fall? Thankfully, I've only ever seen them in the spring here. I'll have to try that water/alcohol spray. It would have to work pretty quickly, as I imagine it evaporates shortly after spraying.
-Chris

Some species have only one generation per year, others have multiple ones. The common rose slug has only one, at least in northern areas.

I don't think lime sulfur would have any effect on them. Spinosad is effective. Alcohol or soap sprays work if sprayed directly on them, but you need 100% coverage.

There are different sawflies in different areas. In some places it is a single generation; in others they have several. I think we have the multi-generation ones here in my area.

My worst ones were roses in pots. I suspect the larvae ate leaves, dropped to the soil, then later re-emerged and started eating again.

Try as I did, I never saw them, just their damage. Because of the drought I got rid of all my potted roses, except for one waiting to be planted when the rains finally return.

If it were me, I would probably go for the Spinosad at the appropriate time.

Rosefolly

Here is a link that might be useful: Baldo's Bug Page on Sawflies

I just can't get over what a miracle cure water is. Watering the bush and removing the critters. Blasting the foliage weekly too.
Susan

I'm so glad I only have to worry about them once a season! Dawn and dusk seems to be the best time to find them. I guess they hide during the hotter parts of the day. And check the undersides of leaves. I sometimes find them lurking there. They certainly are a nuisance. I went through so much trouble to pick disease resistant roses, and then had cruddy looking foliage on some of my plants on account of these little guys.
-Chris