What is Eating My Rose Leaves? – Meet the Top 8 Culprits

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Gardeners delight in the spring when the garden bursts into life. 

Fresh foliage to welcome in the new season, then anticipation builds for the colorful blossoming of rose bushes. 

The excitement’s quickly diminished when you find holes in the leaves of your rose bush. 

As excited as we are to welcome the start of a new gardening season, so too are a bunch of garden bad guys that see your roses as a buffet. 

When you find holes in your rose leaves, it’s probable there are insects getting an early start. 

Read on to find the clues that identify what’s eating holes in your rose leaves and the fixes to put an end to it.  

What is eating my rose leaves? 

The pests eating your rose leaves are Rose Slugs (sawfly larvae), Japanese Beetles, Fuller Rose Beetles (Rose Weevils), Aphids, Mealybugs, Caterpillars, Spider Mites, and Leaf-cutter bees known for their distinctive half-moon cuts.

Leaf-cutter bees 

Leaf-cutter bees
Identification:	Under an inch in size;
Control:	Cover with netting if damage becomes too prominent
Prevention:	Encourage diverse pollinators in your garden to distribute their activity

The leaf-cutter bee is under an inch in size. These are solitary bees so there’s no risk of a colony of bees nesting in your shrub. 

The damage they cause is only aesthetic. Your rose bush will flower as normal.

You can tell the leaf-cutter bee is visiting your rose bush when you notice half circles being eaten from the leaf edges. The diameters can be up to three-quarters of inch. 

Despite the cuts looking like something eaten a part of the leaf, it’s not been eaten. It’s been taken from the plant to be used as nesting material. You’re doing the pollinator kingdom a favor by letting the bees do their thing. 

The leaves from rose shrubs are a preferred nesting material for these bees. Other bush types they prefer are the leaves from are the Virginia Creeper, and the Lilac bush.  

It won’t harm your roses. You’ll still get plenty of blooms. If the leaf damage does become prominent to the extent you feel you need to stop it cutting discs from the leaves, cover it with netting. 

Don’t use insecticides as these are beneficial insects. 

Rose slugs

Rose Slugs
Identification:	Larvae of sawflies
Control:	Handpick or hose down early in the morning; Use horticultural oil or insecticidal soaps
Prevention:	Keep the garden clean and free from fallen leaves; Ensure good airflow between plants

Rose slugs aren’t slugs. They’re the larvae of sawflies that feed on the underside of leaves. They are heavy feeders. 

In their early life stages, the holes they make are so tiny they only like brown spots on the leaves of roses. White spots on roses are different. Those are likely teeny aphids or mealybugs.

Once rose slugs mature, they reach about a half-inch to three-quarters of an inch in length. They’re green-bodied with a yellowish-orange head that look very much like a caterpillar. 

In their adult larvae stage, that’s when they cause real damage when they can eat right through a leaf. 

A heavy infestation of rose slugs can strip your plant bare of the leaves. 

These are nighttime feeders that are most active in early spring to late summer. The best control method is to knock them off the plant either by hand or hosing the leaves early each morning. 

Unlike caterpillars that can be taken care of with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), it doesn’t have an effect on rose slugs, since they’re neither a caterpillar nor a slug. They’re the larvae of the sawfly. 

If you do need to use an insecticide, horticultural oil and insecticidal soaps work as contact insecticides killing on contact. Not by ingestion. 

Fuller rose beetles

Fuller Rose Beetles
Identification:	Brown, wingless beetles; Leave only the central vein of the leaf untouched
Control:	Handpick or hose off; Skirt prune lower parts of the rose bush; Use sticky traps on main trunks
Prevention:	Proper garden sanitation and soil health

The fuller rose beetle can do severe damage to roses. They eat the leaves and the flowers. They’re all female and deposit eggs in the soil so even if you do remove all of them, a new family will emerge next season. 

Eggs hatch in the soil and the larvae start to feed on the plants roots for up to 8-months, eventually emerging as fuller rose beetles around spring the following year. 

Adult rose beetles are brown and wingless. They’re nighttime feeders but by day, they hide on the underside of leaves. Not in the soil. 

The damage they cause is distinctive. On the leaves they are eating, the only part that will remain untouched will be the thick large vein running down the center of the leaf their feeding on. 

The severity of the damage this pest causes will require remedial action to revive a dying rose. It might be heavily damaged this year, but it can survive heavy defoliation. 

These can eat multiple leaves, and the flowers. Where they’ve been eating, around the holes will be tearing with ragged edges.  

To stop these eating your rose leaves, remove them by hand or hose them off with a jet spray of water. Take advantage of their inability to take flight by skirt pruning your rose bush. 

Prune the lower part of the rose bush so that adults emerging from the soil can’t climb onto the leaves. For the main trunks, use sticky traps to catch the adults before they get a chance to climb onto the plant.

Japanese beetle 

Japanese Beetle
Identification:	Copper-colored back with blueish-green head; Skeletonize leaves
Control:	Handpick especially during early mornings or late evenings
Prevention:	Introduce beneficial nematodes to soil; Keep your garden diverse to discourage mass infestation

The Japanese beetle tends to be active in early summer. It’s easily recognized by its copper-colored back with a blueish-green head. It’s about a half-inch in size and can be handpicked off your roses and the leaves. 

If left unchecked, they cause significant damage by skeletonizing the leaves. You’ll be left with a real ugly-looking rose bush. 

Given these are easy to spot, and they don’t bite, you can just pick them off. Go at them in early morning on in the late evening.

They’re most active during the day.

Early morning and late evening is when they get docile making them easier to pick off or knock the leaves or flowers and they’ll fall right off.

When not to remove the Japanese beetle

The only time you don’t want to remove this bug is when there are white spots on the backs of a Japanese beetle. These don’t have spots on their shells. 

When there are white dots, it’s more likely the eggs of a tachinid fly that’s using the beetle as a host. The tachinid fly is a beneficial insect that will eventually kill the Japanese beetle. 

There are different species of tachinid flies, but they’re all parasitoids, meaning they’ll kill off some type of garden pest, which can include the ravenous geranium budworm, tomato hornworm, or even the half-inch sized shield bugs that attack most fruiting plants. 

If a Japanese beetle has white spots glued to its back, keep it around. You want those eggs to hatch because they will be doing you a huge favor in the garden.  

Aphids

Aphids
Identification:	Tiny, pear-shaped insects in varying colors; Clumping on new shoots or undersides of leaves; Sticky honeydew secretion
Control:	Use a strong stream of water or insecticidal soap
Prevention:	Encourage natural predators like ladybugs and lacewings; Regularly inspect new growth

Aphids are tiny pear-shaped insects that come in a variety of colors ranging from green to black. 

They can often be found clumping together on new shoots or the underside of rose leaves.

When aphids feed, they suck out the sap from the leaves. 

This not only weakens the plant but can also lead to distorted growth. On top of that, a sticky substance known as honeydew is produced, which can lead to the development of sooty mold.

Signs of aphid damage include curling leaves, yellowing, and stunted growth. 

One redeeming quality is that they are an attractant for beneficial insects like ladybugs. 

But if you find that they are overwhelming your rose plant, a strong stream of water or insecticidal soap can help reduce their numbers.

To get more in-depth info on the topic, make sure to read our guide on “How to get Rid Of Aphids on Roses.“

Mealybugs

Mealybugs
Identification:	Prune infested areas; Use insecticidal soaps or neem oil
Control:	Prune infested areas; Use insecticidal soaps or neem oil
Prevention:	Ensure plants are not overly fertilized as they attract mealybugs; Quarantine new plants for a few weeks

If you are an avid gardener or houseplant enthusiast, you have surely heard of mealybugs. 

Mealybugs, as their name suggests, look like tiny cottony masses. They hide in nooks and crannies and can often be found on the underside of leaves or where leaves connect to stems.

Like aphids, they feed by sucking out the plant’s sap. This weakens the plant and, if left unchecked, can lead to yellowed, curled, or dropped rose leaves. 

The honeydew they produce also makes the rose plant more susceptible to black sooty mold.

To combat mealybugs, ensure you prune away heavily infested areas. 

Insecticidal soaps and neem oil can also be effective remedies.

For further information on mealybugs, give our article “How to Get Rid of Mealybugs” a thorough read.

Caterpillars

Caterpillars:
Identification:	Various types munching away significant portions of leaves
Control:	Handpick; Introduce beneficial insects; Use Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) for severe cases
Prevention:	Keep surrounding areas free from debris and weeds

Various species of caterpillars find rose leaves to be quite a delicacy. 

Their damage is often more apparent, as they can munch away large portions of leaves, leaving behind an unsightly display.

These little critters can be green or brown. This often makes it tricky to spot them amidst the foliage. 

They feast during various times of the day, depending on the species.

To keep caterpillar populations in check, you can introduce beneficial insects like braconid wasps. 

If the infestation is minimal, hand-picking them off is certainly a possibility.

For severe cases, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) can be applied. It’s a natural bacterium that specifically targets caterpillars without harming beneficial insects.

Spider Mites

Spider Mites
Identification	Tiny arachnids causing stippled or bronzed leaf appearance; Fine silken webbing
Control	Release predatory mites; Regularly spray rose bushes with water
Prevention	Increase garden humidity; Regularly inspect undersides of leaves

Last but not least, the damage on your rose leaves could also be due to spider mites. Spider mites are minuscule pests, often too small to see without a magnifying glass. 

However, the damage they cause is hard to ignore. 

These tiny arachnids suck out cell contents from leaves, leading to a stippled or bronzed appearance. 

If the infestation is severe, the leaves can become entirely yellow and drop off.

One clear sign of spider mites is fine, silken webbing on the underside of leaves. These pests prefer hot, dry conditions, so increasing humidity can deter them.

For control, consider releasing predatory mites that feed on spider mites. Regularly spraying your rose bushes with water can also help by knocking off and killing the mites. 

If the situation gets out of hand, miticides or insecticidal soaps can be an option.

You’ll find more options in our article “How to Eliminate Spider Mites.”

Frequently Asked Questions related to what eats rose leaves

What animals eat rose leaves? 

Deer, squirrels, and rabbits will chew on all parts of rose bushes, not just the leaves. If you’re seeing chunks eaten from your leaves, buds and canes, especially on tender growth, it’s likely caused by deer browsing, or rabbits and squirrels gnawing your plants. 

What can be put on rose leaves to stop insects eating them? 

The answer is neem oil. It can be effective at controlling numerous bad guys that eat holes in your rose leaves without having a harmful effect on beneficial insects like ladybugs. To prevent leaf burn, apply it when it’s cooler, either early morning or late evening. Not in the hottest heat of the afternoon sun.