Question
I have about 10 rose bushes in my back yard in southwestern New Mexico.  They have done great this year and now suddenly I have a ton of flies all over them and the leaves are turning yellow and have bite marks on them.  I have never seen this problem before.  What could be causing the flies and how do I get rid of them?  Any help you can give is greatly appreciated.  Thank you.
Jennifer

Answer
Getting rid of the flies is easy. The reason why they are attacking your roses is a bit harder. What you describe is not normal for a rose pest. Sometimes certain insects will swarm a plant for no special reason and then as suddenly as they come they will disappear. I had little black beetles all over just one rose, so thick the plant looked black. What the answer could be is that the mother insects had laid her eggs at the base of the rose and now that the time is right they have hatched. This could be another reason for your swarming flies.
You can use any insecticide and follow the directions on the package and that will get rid of them. Don't forget to spray all around the base of the rose bush to make sure you get anymore that are going to hatch. Hope this helps.