i would not be concerned about the IN-significant leaf damage on any level .. the flower bug is right there in the center of the flower... and if you google Japanese beetles you ought to come up with bazillions of peeps in the same boat ... and millions of remedies ... some of us ignore them.. its natures way .... ken

I am not even *remotely* an expert, and I have no idea what specific bugs you've got, but... soapy water makes a lot of different bugs sad, and afaik tends to do minimal harm to plants. Worth a shot, at least, right?

Thanks! I'll have a look online if I could find a photo of an instar plant bug nymph. Earlier, I did already find an image showing the nymph stages of the 'kissing bug', and my bug (at least to me) looks a lot like the 2nd nymphal instar: http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/Health-officials-Deadly-kissing-bug-reported-in-Georgia-353134901.html But considering these should not normally exist in the UK (according to a quick google search, at least) I doubt it's the kissing bug! But still, there's a lot of similarities -- dark brown colour, tear-drop shaped body, fairly short antennae and dark orange legs. I think the biggest difference is, however, that kissing bugs don't have that anteanna-like snout that my bug has.

Mantis... definitely a "helper"! Also, be on the lookout for the egg cases on your roses when you prune. If you MUST remove the cane or stem an egg case is attached to, then trim the branch to a manageable size and place it back inside the bush, or if the trimming is longer, you can push it into the ground like a stake. Just make sure the egg case is placed within the body of the rose. You don't want to let the baby mantids starve before they can reach their food...the "bad guys" on your roses.