What Is Eating My Rose Bush?

Aphid Infestation

There are several insects that commonly feed on rose bushes. If your rose bush is showing signs of damage, such as yellowing leaves, you may have an insect eating your bush. These are some common insects found on rose bushes with tips on how to identify the insect.

Aphids

Aphids are a small insect that are most commonly found on rose bushes. High infestations of aphids will leave an obvious sticky substance on the leaves.

Scales

There are several scale insect species that can affect roses such as the California red scale, latania scale, Purple Scale, frosted scale and Kuno scale. Female scales look more like a barnacle attached to the plant. Males look like a typical small insect, but are not usually seen on the rose plant.

Flatheaded Borers

These are beetles in which the larvae have an enlarged flat head. They eat into previously damaged parts of the plant.

Caterpillars

There are many species of caterpillars that will feed on rose bushes. They are usually large enough to find and can be removed by hand.

Foliage miners

Foilage miners describes several species of moths whose larvae cause a distinctive type of leaf damage. These insects feed in a maze like pattern leaving revealing trails on the leaf of the rose bush.

References

• UD Davis IPM: Roses