My bi-weekly inspection of roses

Category: Roses | Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:47 pm

It really doesnt seem like its been two weeks since the last bi-weekly inspection. Its because Ive had a daily battle with the beetle thats been munching the roses.

But it was so I chemically (because of the beetles) sprayed the roses and tomorrow I will feed them.

Moving around the roses, everything looked good except for minor damage to some of the leaves (munched on). But when I came to my Climbing Gold Glow, something caught my eye. Its on the only two stems over 4 ft tall...the only two stems that are starting to climb.

I cut one of the stems off (the smallest)to do some investagating into find out what it was.

I first pulled off all the leaves and thorns. I was able to see the tracks better this way. It covered about 14 inchs of stem. I found the point of entry...or could be exit but the fact thats the only place where it went into the "wood" of the rose, makes me think the eggs were laid there. It went up about 6inches above the POE and about 8 below the POE.

Whatever insect it was used the area where one of the thorns had been pulled off or was torn off when I trained it to the trellis.

Point of entry.

I took a smoothed edge knife and gently scratched the area. The skin around the area where the "tunnel" was gave away easily.

Heres the "tunnels"

It doesnt appear that this "borer" fed off the rose stem. The tunnels ran to the leaf stems and every leaf stem had been chewed at the base....but just the base...... puzzling, I know.

I scraped away the tunnel hoping to find the little critter but nothing unless he is just so small I cant see him.

I then skined the rose stems in section to check the wood. Like I said before except for the POE, the wood was clean and free of tunnels. The tunnels were only skin deep.

Here you can see the POE in the one closest to the bottom of the four. Its the dark area at the top..

Heres the skin from the inside...
You can make out the tunnels.

I didnt cut the other one off. I want to see what comes of this as I havent found the insect doing this online.

Lets hope that it isnt a borer that will end up in the crown of my rose!!!!
If you happen to know what this is, please let me know!!

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Pianolady wrote on Tue Jun 20, 2006 1:13 am:

Possibly Marmara Cambium Miners? Have a look at them at this link:
http://www.sactorose.org/rosebug/irosepests.htm

Pinkiered wrote on Tue Jun 20, 2006 2:44 am:

Maybe. I checked the wood at the base of the rose and its fine. This was just on the young green shoots. I havent seen anything like that on the leaves. Ill keep an eye on it to be sure...

Thanks!

Gardenstew wrote on Tue Jun 20, 2006 12:07 pm:

Could they be Rose stem girdlers or Rose stem sawfly? Here is the link I found them on:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/components/6953_05.html

Pinkiered wrote on Tue Jun 20, 2006 4:08 pm:

You know, I researched the girdlers and sawflies. The damage to the stem just doesnt quite fit with them. There isnt a pattern to this and it seems that they are stay in jsut the skin of the stem and tunneling up to the leaves. They are eatting the stems to the leaves so they have to be coming out to do it and going back in to tunnel to the next one.

I just dont know.