Aphids are tiny insects that feed on the buds of roses during early spring, and also have a taste for other flowers like hibiscus. Infestation of aphids can lead to quite ugly first blooms at the beginning of the rose season, and most would like to see their roses free of aphids. There are numerous methods for reducing aphid spread, most of them simple to employ.

Because aphids typically disappear within about a month, you can choose to simply ignore them. Usually, roses that are well fed survive aphid infestation and go on to produce beautiful blooms throughout the summer. Sickly roses may be more vulnerable to aphid destruction, so keeping roses fed, watered and healthy is the first line of defense against aphids.

Some prefer to use pesticides, and in most cases, spraying with malathion will destroy an aphid population. Malathion is, however, quite toxic, and may destroy the harmony of an outdoor garden because it depends on other things like bees, moths and birds to pollinate imperfect flowers. Malathion can destroy bee populations and is best avoided to maintain overall garden health. Insecticidal soap can be used to eliminate aphids, but it is time consuming and may also have an adverse affect on other necessary garden elements. Fortunately, there are some alternatives that are far safer to use and may help protect your roses from pesky aphids.

Eucalyptus oil can be sprayed directly onto roses to reduce infestation. It will not kill aphids, but it tends to discourage them. Additionally, rubbing cut cloves of garlic on buds also discourages the insects. Dishwashing soap, water and oil can be combined to create a nontoxic bug spray as well. Spraying in all areas of aphid infestation will often kill the aphids.

Planting garlic around roses, before spring and the first assault of aphids, can cause the insects to disregard the roses, as garlic naturally repels them. One can also remove the aphids by hand or direct a hard spray of water at them to hit them off the rose. While the hand method will not harm the flowers, the water method can often cause water damage to the developing buds, and may do as much harm to the flowers as the aphids would cause if left on the bud.

If you have young children who are interested in bugs, getting rid of aphids can easily be accomplished by purchasing ladybugs, readily available at most gardening retailers in early spring. The ladybugs come in mesh bags and must be released after sunset, or they will not stay on the plant. Aphids are fine dining for ladybugs, who will quickly go to work, naturally removing the aphids for you.

The ladybugs must be released within a day or two of purchase, and they tend to leave if it begins to rain, so timing the release of the bugs is important. On few occasions, ladybugs do bite, though this is usually only associated with swarms of ladybugs. In most cases, they are happy to crawl around on your hand without aggressive behavior. Children are often particularly fond of the ladybug, so this may be the most fun way of dealing with aphids, as well as one of the easiest.