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Safe Control of Rose Stem Borers and Leaf-Eating Insects Without Harming Birds

Stem borers bore into canes, lay eggs; larvae feed inside, killing canes. They don't eat leaves. Cut canes below damage; seal cuts with Elmer's glue to prevent re-entry.

Leaf Eaters

Large, neat holes: beetles.
Small, rounded holes: caterpillars.

Use Safer's Insecticidal Soap or homemade: 1 quart water + 1 tsp melted pure Ivory soap + few drops canola oil. Shake well. Systemic insecticides kill beneficial insects and birds that eat them.

Roses: Identifying Rose Leaf Damage: Beetles, Caterpillars, or Aphids?; Why Rose Blooms Wilt Fast and What Red Leaves Mean; Stopping Recurrent Leaf-Eating Insects on Roses: Targeted Spraying and Pest Identification; Black Ants Eating Rose Buds and Canes in South Dakota; Rose Leaves Turn Papery: Rose Slugs, Fertilizer Burn, or Waterlogging; Rabbit Damage on Rose Buds: Identification and Prevention; Interpreting Light Green, Thin Leaves on a Rose Bush; Newly Planted Roses Dying – Return Them Immediately; White Leaves and Brown Petal Tips: Diagnosing Powdery Mildew vs. Pests on Roses; Something Eating Petunia Flowers? Probably Slugs—Here's How to Stop Them

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