Rose Slugs...an organic solution?

Hey everyone...I made this post on the Rose forum a couple weeks ago...we've determined I've got rose slugs. Any idea what the organic solution is to deal with them. Somone posted a good like from the AARS web site on them, but it just mentions chemical pesticide as a solution....

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/906271/

Miles

I looked at your thread and saw several organic solutions mentioned--diatomaceous earth, neem, and insecticidal soap. I have no personal experience with these so I don't know which of those is most likely to work, but they are all organic.

I tried the neem, but that did not seem to deter them much. I did put some DE down...just wondering if you guys that peruse the organic forum would have a more definitive idea....thanks.

The diotomaceous earth will only work until it gets wet or blow away. I use it around my house for ants, but with our recent Santa Ana winds, I had a minor invasion today as I got home from work . . .

How are rose slugs different from regular slugs? Have you tried the saucer of beer? Seemed to work for me in Seattle (slug central!).

Rose slugs aren't slugs at all, they're the larvae of something (sawflies I think). So the usual slug remedies of beer, iron phosphate, copper barriers, etc wouldn't work for them.

Yeah, I did the tray of beer...nothing near the roses, but caught like 20 of them by the mums that were getting eaten....so it did some good anyway....

hey, miles, are you still there? I've been wandering far afield from the Roses Forum lately, and just found this thread. I have rose slugs too .... I think. We need beneficial nematodes. It's not too late to apply them for this growing season. http://www.naturescontrol.com/predatornematodes.html