Pest profile

Rose Midge

Dasineura rhodophaga (iNaturalist genus: Dasineura) · Diptera: Cecidomyiidae[3]

The rose midge is a tiny fly whose maggots feed in new rose buds and shoot tips, deforming and killing them; damaged tissue turns brown, then black.[1]

No licensed photo of this species is available yet; the identification notes below describe what to look for.

How to identify it

  • Adults are tiny flies, about 0.05 inch long, yellow-brown or reddish.[1]
  • Mature maggots are about 1/16 inch long and white to reddish.[1]
  • New buds and shoots are deformed and killed, the dead tissue turns brown or black, and damaged buds open into abnormal flowers.[1]

Where it lives

The PNW Insect Management Handbook covers it on roses in Pacific Northwest gardens.[1]

Biology and life cycle

It overwinters as a pupa in the soil under plants, and adults emerge in spring.[1]

Females lay eggs under the sepals of flower buds or on expanding leaf buds and shoots; larvae drop to the soil to pupate, with several generations a year.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Feeding kills new buds and shoot tips, and damaged buds develop into abnormal flowers.[1]

Health risk

It feeds on plants; the PNW Insect Management Handbook mentions no risk to people.[1]

Control

Sanitation

Cut out and destroy infested tips.[1]

More from NC State Extension

Adults live only a day or two; eggs laid inside the sepals of new buds hatch within 2 days, and the maggots feed for 5 to 7 days before dropping to pupate in the soil, with damage often peaking in late June and again in late August.[2]

Common questions

Why are my rose buds turning black and dying?
Rose midge maggots feeding in the buds and shoot tips are one cause; the dead tissue turns brown, then black.[1]
How do I control rose midge without spraying?
Cut out and destroy infested tips as you find them.[1]

Sources

  1. Pacific Northwest Pest Management Handbooks (OSU, WSU, University of Idaho), “Rose (Rosa): Rose midge (Insect Management Handbook).” pnwhandbooks.org/insect/hort/landscape/hosts-pests-landscape-plants/rose-rosa-rose-midge (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. NC State Extension, “Rose Midge.” content.ces.ncsu.edu/rose-midge (accessed 2026-10-15)
  3. iNaturalist, “Dasineura taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/319203 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-15. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.