They have been at my roses all summer so far, and they are certainly making a meal of them. These are Large Rose Sawfly (Arge pagana) larva, young instars most likely. And four of them seem to like this one particular leaf for some reason. I feel sorry for the top two, for when they finally meet in the middle it will be the guy sitting on the branch he is sawing off scenario. Or maybe it won’t come to that.
Rear garden, Staffordshire, England. July 2017.
Please click on an image for a larger more detailed view. Clicking a second time may get you a little closer.
Nature Journeys 
Can’t ‘Like’ this one – haha! Voracious little pests.
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And there seems to be more of them this year!
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Love that pic – a great bit of macro. Now I want a short video of the moment that the bottom two eat through the leaf! 🙂
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Lol! 🙂 Thank you, Jude 🙂
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Wow! Spectacular photo!
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Thank you 🙂
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Your new gear is certainly giving us a fascinating glimpse into the miniature world in our gardens. Lighting is very good too.
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Thank you very much, Vicki. I am using a homemade diffuser to help reduce flash highlights, which appears to be working well.
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Quite a competition then!
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Oh yes, indeed! 🙂
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Humm, must be fun watching them!
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It can be, but not fun for my roses 🙂 They already have circular holes cut in their leaves by solitary bees which line their nests with them.
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What do you do then? Do you try to get rid of them? I have whiteflies. The gardener said use soapy water.
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I could spray them, like I used to, or pick them off. But I have come away from using sprays the last few years hoping that nature will find its balance. The roses appear to recover fine, thankfully. Yes, soapy water is a good idea, too.
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Yes, I try not to use spray since I have so many fruit trees!
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🙂
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Getting pretty crowded! 🙂
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Sure is 🙂 And there were more of them out of shot! I think I should start charging them restaurant prices 😉
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Are they not leaving a tip you say? 🙂
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Lol! The only tip they are leaving are that my roses will soon only be fit for ‘the’ tip 🙂
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Your bird friends need to get busy!
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I have to agree! I am surprised they keep passing them by!
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NIce comical effect!
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Thank you, Carol 🙂 They are quite comical to watch.
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I hilarious image – 4 little bobbleheads dining out.
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🙂
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Ah I know these guys rather well. And so do my roses and I think my willow too!
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Yeah, and my Wych Elm!
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