Question
My New Dawn is in its second year with lots of buds.  Today I noticed that many of the buds have holes in them...as tho they were bored into.  I don't see anything visible that could have caused that to happen. Can you tell me what the problem is and what I can do about it?  Thanks You!
08753  Toms River, NJ

Answer
There is a tiny insect called a rose midge which bores a hole at the base of the flower buds and lays her eggs in there. The eggs hatch and eat the bud destroying the flowers or making them go brown. Try opening a bud with a hole and see if there is a small fly like insect in them or eggs. If there is you will have to use an insecticide as there is no organic solution to rose midge as they are far too tiny to get at. There is another possibility in that it could just be a passing bug that is eating or even small birds sometimes peck at rose buds. However if it is rose midge you should see evidence of eggs or worms.