Question
My sister-in-law has some gorgeous roses,but they are infected with rose chafers, and they have some kind of "growth" here and there on the stems.  The growths are the size of quarters and are round.   She said they have "seeds" inside when they are green, and later, worms get inside and eat them.  I wonder if they are some kind of bug eggs rather than seeds.  Can you give us any clues as to what we are dealing with? This is in northern lower Michigan, near Alpena.

Answer
Your rose canes have cane rose galls on them. These galls are filled with bacteria which cause the tumour. The bacteria live in the soil and when the rose is wounded, such as by a thorn rubbing against a cane or an insect bite, the bacteria get in and start a gall. However once the bacteria get in one cane, they then can then make other galls on different canes. The bacteria or galls, won't kill the rose but it could stunt the growth. So next spring cut past the area where the galls are and the rose will grow as normal. Galls should be burned or put in the garbage.