rose midge

alder flea beetle
aphid management
apple and thorn skeletonizer
apple ermine moth
azaleae bark scale
Barypeithes root weevil
Beneficial nematodes
black stem borer
branch and twig borer
brown marmorated stink bug
bronze birch borer
boxwood leafminer
boxwood psyllid
caterpillars UPDATED
Ceanothus stem gall moth
cherry ermine moth
clay colored weevil
craneflies
cypress tip moth
dogwood sawfly New
Douglas fir twig weevil
earwigs
elm leafminer
European pine shoot moth
European shot-hole borer
emerald ash borer
Fall webworm NEW
flatheaded cedar borer
honeylocust pod gall midge
huckleberry root aphids
ground mealybug
lacebugs
leaf weevil
maple tip moth
maple midge
March flies
spruce aphid on spruce
obscure root weevil
Pacific flatheaded borer
peach tree borer NEW
pear leaf-curling midge
pine needle scale
poplar and willow borer
rose curculio weevil
rose midge
roseslug
sawflies
scale NEW
sequoia pitch moth
spittlebug
tent caterpillars NEW
thrips
viburnum leaf beetle
western poplar clearwing
western spotted cucumber beetle
white pine weevil NEW
whiteflies
woolly ash aphid

Back to Home

Rose midge

The rose midge, Dasineura rhodophaga Coquillett (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is an uncommon but damaging pest of roses. Damage from the midge was first reported in 1886 in New Jersey. There are accounts of its infestation in the Pacific Northwest, California, the Northeastern states, Colorado, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ontario. The distribution and occurrence of the midge will likely increase. The adult midge lays its eggs inside the sepals of new flower and leaf buds. The tiny maggot that hatches feeds in these areas causing blackened tissue, tip abortion, and distorted flower buds.

In 2004, the first damage of the season was reported on April 13 at the International Rose Test Garden (IRTG) in Portland, Oregon. Rose midge damage tends to increase through the season. Sampling of new shoots during the 2004 season showed two peaks of damage: in late June/early July and late August/early September.

Our work with rose midge in 2005 at the IRTG comparing one "pre-emergent" application of Merit (imidacloprid) and Tempo (cyfluthrin) applications begun in April and applied every two weeks throughout the growing season (12 applications) showed statistically equivalent control between the two treatments. Both treatments kept damage around 2% while the untreated control had 54% damaged buds.

For more details on the 2005 trials, see the Final Report of Investigation of Phenology and Management of Rose Midge, Dasineura
rhodophaga.

Dr. Janice Elmhirst, in British Columbia, has been doing research with rose midge as well. More information on her trials, including using biological control agents such as beneficial nematodes and predatory mites is available at the links below.

Final Report on Rose, Salix and Acer Midge Trials in British Columbia 2004

Evaluation of chemical and biological treatments for control of rose midge
(Dasineura rhodophaga Coquillet): efficacy and crop tolerance.

More information on the midge and its management can be found at the following websites.

University of Minnesota Extension: Insect Pests of Roses

American Rose Society rose midge article