With the appearance of COVID-19 in our region, we are spending more time at home, away from work, friends, and even family to try to avoid contracting or passing on the virus. One positive element that has arisen from this enforced isolation is that we are pursuing activities and hobbies that we normally set aside for the scant leisure time most of us have.

Two weeks ago, I wrote a column about planting and growing roses. It was a very positive column and I encouraged you to try growing roses if you never had before. Now it is time to tell you that rose culture has a dark side that requires continuous vigilance, especially during the summer months when diseases and insect pests can ravage blooms and destroy leaves.

Numerous insects like to munch on rose leaves and blossoms. The most significant pest is the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica), that pretty, metallic green insect with copper wings and a gigantic appetite for roses. Japanese beetles appear in late June and bumble a...