UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



J^^'^^u 



I BULLETIN No. 778 



Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 

 L. O. HOWARD, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



May 3. 1919 



THE ROSE MIDGE. 



By E. R. Sasscee, Collaborator, and A. D. Boeden, Scientiflc Assistant, Tropical 

 and Subtropical Fruit Insect Investigations. 



Introduction 



History and distribution- 

 Description 



Life history 



Seasonal liistory 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Food plants 



Experiments in control — 



Methods of control 



Precautionary measures- 

 Literature cited 



Page. 

 4 



INTRODUCTION. 



The rose midge, Dasyneura rKodo-phaga (Coq.), an insect related to 

 the Hessian fly, is often the cause of considerable injury to roses 

 grown under glass. In 1912 Davis (3)^ estimated that the loss due to 

 this pest in two Chicago greenhouses would approximate $10,000 

 annually. Subsequently this insect was reported by various ento- 

 mologists as being especially injurious to the flower and leaf buds 

 of the rose, distorting their growth and eventually causing them to 

 turn brown and die. 



In the fall of 1916 an infestation was located at Colgate, Md., 

 which, according to the owner, caused an annual loss of from $4,000 

 to $6,000. Although the house was generally infested, the infesta- 

 tion was limited to the following varieties of roses: Eadiance (pink), 

 Hadley (red) , Eussell (pink) , and Killamey (white) . The Hadley 

 and Radiance varieties were most severely infested, scarcely a leaf 

 or flower bud escaping attack. 



This infestation offered an excellent opportunity for determining 

 a satisfactory means of controlling this pest in a commercial green- 

 house, and, in collaboration with Prof. E. N. Cory, entomologist of 

 the Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, the investigation 

 was begun in October, 1916. Results of these experiments are given 

 on pages 6 and 7. 



1 Figures in parentheses refer to " Literature cited," p. 8. 

 103858° — 19 



