Dog rose pests, webbing or sticky leaves: causes and what to do
6 results in the diagnosis tree begin with pests, 5 of them marked likely when the answers fit. They are ordered here for Dog rose (Rosa canina), using what its sources say about pests and diseases and humidity and 5 problems recorded for it.
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Rosa canina, the dog rose, is a variable climbing, wild rose species native to Europe, northwest Africa, and western Asia. Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Native range: Madeira, NW. Africa, Europe to C. Asia and Pakistan (temperate). Also sold as bird briar, briar rose, buckieberries, canker, canker flower and canker rose.
What Dog rose’s sources say that bears on this
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by caterpillars, scale insects, aphids, greenhouse red spider mite, rose leafhopper, rose leaf-rolling sawfly, rose slugworm sawfly and large rose sawfly; rabbits and deer can cause damage. Diseases: rose rust, rose black spot, rose powdery mildew, rose dieback, replant disease and occasionally honey fungus; the disorder rose blindness can also occur.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
- ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
How this shows up on a Dog rose
Curled, sticky new leaves with green or black insects: aphids
The youngest growth of the dog rose is sticky and distorted, and a closer look finds colonies of small, pear-shaped insects.
RHS lists aphids among the pests it may attract. They feed on the sap of soft new growth, which distorts it, and they multiply quickly without mating.
Telling it apart: What the white bits are. Aphids leave papery cast skins; mealybugs leave wax with an insect inside.
RHS · read 13 September 2026Leaves eaten away and webbed together: caterpillars
Holes and ragged edges appear on the leaves of the dog rose, with small dark droppings on the leaves below. Some leaves may be rolled or tied with silk.
RHS lists caterpillars among the pests it may attract. Their damage is chewing, not sucking, so the tissue is gone rather than discolored.
Telling it apart: Droppings. Caterpillars leave dark pellets below the damage; slugs leave slime.
RHS · read 13 September 2026Pale stippled leaves and tiny moving dots underneath: a mite pest
Seen side-on, the dog rose looks dusty and bleached. Under a lens the undersides move with minute mites, and silk gathers where leaves meet the stem.
RHS lists spider mites among the pests it may attract. Mites empty the leaf cells one by one, which is what the pale dots are, and they breed fastest in warm, dry air.
Telling it apart: Where the damage starts. Mites stipple the whole leaf in fine dots; sun scorch bleaches the side facing the window.
RHS · read 13 September 2026Small insects that jump when the leaves are disturbed
Pale mottling spreads across the leaves of the dog rose, heaviest near the veins.
RHS lists leafhoppers among the pests it may attract. They suck sap from the undersides, which leaves pale dead cells on the surface above.
Telling it apart: Cast skins. White skins under the leaves point at leafhoppers.
RHS · read 13 September 2026Small raised bumps along the stems and veins, with sticky leaves: scale insects
The dog rose is sticky to the touch and yellows slowly. Along the veins on the undersides sit small shell-like scales that lift off with a fingernail.
RHS lists scale insects among the pests it may attract. The shell protects the insect, so it survives a wipe that would clear aphids and keeps feeding.
Telling it apart: Whether the bumps sit on the veins. Scale follows the sap; spots from disease scatter across the leaf.
RHS · read 13 September 2026Possible causes, likeliest first for a Dog rose
Most likely spider mites
Ranked higher because Dog rose's recorded problems point this way.
- Pale stippled leaves and tiny moving dots underneath: a mite pest RHS
Why: Spider mites feed on individual leaf cells, and each emptied cell shows as a pale speck.
What to try:
- Move the dog rose away from other plants.
- Wash the leaves, top and underside, with a strong spray of water in a shower or sink.
What would settle it: Hold a sheet of white paper under a leaf and tap the leaf. Tiny specks that move across the paper are mites.
Most likely scale insects
Ranked higher because Dog rose's recorded problems point this way.
- Small raised bumps along the stems and veins, with sticky leaves: scale insects RHS
Why: Scale insects settle in one place under a hard or waxy shell and feed on sap.
What to try:
- Move the dog rose away from other plants.
- Scrape the scales off with a fingernail or a soft brush, then wipe the stems and leaves.
What would settle it: Push a bump gently with a fingernail. Scale comes away and leaves a mark; a bump that is part of the dog rose does not move.
Most likely aphids
Ranked higher because Dog rose's recorded problems point this way.
- Curled, sticky new leaves with green or black insects: aphids RHS
Why: Aphids cluster on soft new growth and flower buds, where the sap is easiest to reach.
What to try:
- Rub them off with fingers, or rinse them off in a sink or shower.
- Repeat every few days while new ones appear.
What would settle it: Look for the pale shed skins among the insects. Aphids molt as they grow, and the skins are left behind in the colony.
Less likely for a Dog rose, still possible
Questions
- What usually causes pests on a Dog rose?
- For Dog rose: spider mites, scale insects and aphids.
- How can I tell which one it is on my Dog rose?
- What can you see? Fine webbing, and tiny pale speckles on the leaves; White, cottony tufts in the leaf joints; Small brown or pale bumps on stems and leaves that do not move; Clusters of small, soft insects on the new growth; Tiny dark flies around the soil; Sticky, shiny residue, but no insect I can see.
- What do Dog rose's sources say about its pests and diseases?
- RHS: Can be troubled by caterpillars, scale insects, aphids, greenhouse red spider mite, rose leafhopper, rose leaf-rolling sawfly, rose slugworm sawfly and large rose sawfly; rabbits and deer can cause damage. Diseases: rose rust, rose black spot, rose powdery mildew, rose dieback, replant disease and occasionally honey fungus; the disorder rose blindness can also occur.
- What does this look like on a Dog rose?
- The youngest growth of the dog rose is sticky and distorted, and a closer look finds colonies of small, pear-shaped insects. Telling it apart: What the white bits are. Aphids leave papery cast skins; mealybugs leave wax with an insect inside.
Other plants that show pests
African violetIrregular notches bitten from leaf edges by an insect pest
Barberton daisyCurled, sticky new leaves with green or black insects: aphids
Bearded irisRagged holes and slime trails: a slug or snail pest
Bigleaf hydrangeaClusters of small soft insects on the shoot tips and buds: aphids
Bird of paradiseDull, finely mottled leaves and faint webs: spider mites
Blue passion flowerPale stippled leaves and tiny moving dots underneath: a mite pest
Something else wrong with the Dog rose?
What this does not cover
This page orders a decision tree's results using a plant's sourced care. It has not seen your plant, its pot or its window, and two problems at once are common: that is the usual reason a confident answer turns out wrong. The questions in the diagnosis tool narrow it further than a list can.