One of my roses has been badly chewed up by some pest(s). I found two different insects on the leaves, but I’m not sure if one or both are the cause of the problem. The brown ones seem to come out at night. The white ones on the underside of the leaves are there all the time and I think they may be aphids, but they look a bit different from the aphids I normally find. Can anyone please help?
The top photo looks more like leafhoppers to me due to the shape of the body. The second photo looks like a weevil. They eat the edges of leaves and do quite a bit of damage.
Donna, We’ve sent your question off to VIMGA (Vancouver Island Master Gardeners). We should hear back shortly.
Thank you! I’ll look both of these insects up online and see if I can figure out how to get rid of them.
I also look forward to any advice the Master Gardeners have. ![]()
rose dust powder on both sides of leaf should take care of it
Thank you for the advice. I appreciate it!
Many thanks to Milner Gardens & Woodland’s Gardening Advice line (a partnership between Vancouver Island University’s Milner Gardens & Woodland and the Vancouver Island Master Gardeners Association) for the following response:
Thank you so much for getting in touch with the Master Gardeners to help with diagnosing what is chewing your rose leaves. Upon looking at the leaves, it appears you might have several pests that are taking advantage of your rose leaves. The picture you sent of the underside of the leaf shows some small green caterpillars. These are actually not caterpillars but are rose sawfly larvae. The small skeletonizing damage on the leaves near the center is caused by the small larvae and the ragged holes on the edges are from the larger larvae, both characteristic of the rose sawfly larvae.
The larvae can be washed off rose leaves with a generous spray of water. Insecticidal soaps and Btk can also be used to control them.
We hope this helps. Good luck & thanks for contacting the Master Gardeners.
Resource: Gilkeson, Linda A (2023) Revised & Expanded Edition: West Coast Gardening Natural Insect, Weed & Disease Control. New Society Publishers
Thank you so much for identifying the rose sawfly and offering suggestions on how to get rid of it. I really value your expertise.


