Expert: Lynnette Callan - 4/18/2007

Question
I finally have roses on my bush I planted about 2 years ago.  I live in El Paso and last year, we had a lot of rain compared to most years.  Everything is coming up quite nicely this spring, but my roses are a sad sight.  I have about 2 dozen buds on this one bush, but as they are opening, I noticed they have brown edges and their development is not like it should be.  They are not opening up the way they should.  What could be the problem?  Do I have some sort of insect eating it?  Thank you for your help.  

Answer
From your description, it sounds a lot like rose midges. These tiny fly like insects, bore into rose buds and suck the juices from them causing the buds to not open properly and so the flowers are distorted. Any insecticide for roses will get rid of them but you will have to wait for the second flush before the flowers look like they should. Here are photos and more information about rose midges for you. Hope this helps.
http://oregonstate.edu/Dept/nurspest/rose_midge.htm