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What are these green worms eating my roses?
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Posted by
pat_bamaZ7 7 (
My Page) on
Tue, Sep 2, 14 at 17:28
| About this time every year, I start having perfect circles chewed through rose buds and new growth chewed completely in two a couple of inches below developing buds on a good many of my roses. Previously, I haven't seen the culprit. I noticed these green worms on several of my roses this weekend...some chewing through new growth and some chewing perfect circles hollowing out buds. What are they? Are they also the culprit for the circle holes in the leaves in the second picture (I don't recall having this leaf problem in previous years when I've had the bud and stem damage, but these leaves are from the same bush as picture one with the worm)? What about the other leaf damage in the first picture...is that from these worms, too? I squished the worms I saw...do I need to do anything else? TIA 
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: What are these green worms eating my roses?
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| I suggest you go to Google Images and search on 'Green Worms'. See if you can find a match.... Saw Fly worms are green and will eat the leaves but your worm is much bigger. |
This post was edited by Toolbelt68 on Tue, Sep 2, 14 at 17:57
RE: What are these green worms eating my roses?
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| Ugh! I have the same wholes in one of my roses but not on any of the others. |
RE: What are these green worms eating my roses?
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| Have you seen any worms on yours, boncrow66? Since I've had this problem in previous years without seeing any, I figured it was something tiny or a night feeder and was surprised to actually see of few of them this weekend. I googled green worms on roses before I posted, but really couldn't tell...maybe tobacco budworms...I grow a lot of nicotiana. I always have bug holes in the leaves of my flowers...nicotiana, cleome, angel's trumpet, coneflower, milkweed, etc, but holes in leaves really don't bother me...would prefer bugs/worms don't eat my rose buds, though. |
RE: What are these green worms eating my roses?
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- Posted by seil z6b MI (My Page) on
Tue, Sep 2, 14 at 18:34
| The best bug site is Baldo Villegas' Bugs and Roses page. Try there and if you can't find it I think there's a way to email him a picture and he'll probably be able to ID it. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Baldo's Bugs
RE: What are these green worms eating my roses?
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Toolbelt, I looked at sawfly and rose slug, but you're right, my worms are much bigger. They leave a big, pencil size round hole in the buds.
Thanks Seil! Will check out the website. |
RE: What are these green worms eating my roses?
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| I haven't noticed my buds being eaten, just the holes in the leaves and I haven't been able to catch the perpetrator yet. |
RE: What are these green worms eating my roses?
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| The picture is out of focus. If you can't tell whether it is a sawfly or a moth larva, spinosad products will kill both and are relatively safe for people and beneficial insects. But don't spray if you can just spot them and squish. If you have holes but don't see worms, look on the underside of leaves and inside webby leaf sandwiches. Raggedy holes may be from beetles rather than worms. Worms will stay in the immediate area, but beetles are mobile. |
RE: What are these green worms eating my roses?
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| Thanks Michael! My camera is having a hard time getting a clear shot of the worms/damage (or could be that I'm a crappy photographer). I squished two more this morning, but I believe they were each a different type of worm, so I evidently have a variety munching in my garden. I definitely have various kinds of beetles eating flower foliage, but not the roses, so not too concerned about those. Right now, I'm hoping I can keep them under control with hand picking. 
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RE: What are these green worms eating my roses?
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I don't know what they are either, but just so happens I pulled one just like your photos off the top of my rose Savannah's newest growth tonight, where the little booger had chewed off the entire tip of the new growth today. I plopped it into the bucket of sudsy water I was carrying with me (I was picking JB's at the time.) You're right, this was much larger than a rose slug.
I swear, it feels like every bug that possibly could eat roses has shown up in my garden this year....:-( |
RE: What are these green worms eating my roses?
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| Could that thing be an Inch Worm??? It looks like the center section is built to bend upward. Now to check out Google Images... |
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