Latin Name:  Merhynchites bicolor Sharp, 1889
                        (R. Bercha, det.)

Length:  ~7 mm

Range: Throughout Alberta

Habitat:  Near Roses

Time of year seen:  Summer (Additional Sightings)

Diet: Rose flower buds, fruit and shoot tips

Other:  The Rose Curculio is a widespread species found across southern Canada and the northern United States. It is commonly associated with roses, however it will also attack the fruit on blackberries , boysenberries, and raspberries.  The adult beetles gnaw small round holes deep into rose flower buds and fruit (ie rose hips or berries) to feed and lay eggs.  The most obvious evidence of this feeding behavior is rose flowers that have petals riddled with small holes and wilted buds that have had their stems damaged.  When flower buds are uncommon the beetles will attack the tips of  new shoots.  Once the eggs are laid, they hatch into small white larva that feed on the inside of the fruit (rose hips) and flower buds.  When the fruit and killed buds fall off  during autumn, the larva crawl out and burrow into the ground to over winter.  The larvae pupate in the spring, with the adult beetle emerging shortly after. (Evans et al, 2006; Arnett et al, 2002; & Marshall, 2006)