Controlling Rose Chafers on Roses and Peonies

Rose chafers are beetles that swarm on roses and peonies, eating holes in blossoms and skeletonizing leaves. Their grubs infest lawns, damaging grass roots similarly to Japanese beetles—turf can be rolled up like carpet. They're especially troublesome in sandy soils.

Rose chafers and Japanese beetles often appear together; controls are similar. Handpick adults; pyrethrin can also be used. For larvae, drench lawns with parasitic nematodes.

Chemical controls for adults include acephate and carbaryl. Diazinon can be used against larvae in lawns.