European grapevine moth
(Lobesia botrana)
Generally occurring all over Europe, multivoltine, hazardous vine pest. Mostly it harms together with the vine moth. It winters as a pupa, under the bark of the grapevines.
Food plant:
Grape, occasionally gooseberry, red currant
Detriment:
The caterpillars of the first generation destroy the buds and the early berries by weaving some parts of the bunches, that may cause the complete death of some parts of the bunch. The caterpillars of the second generation chew in to the ripening fruit, and though their direct harm is not significant, but the chewed berries may lead to botrytis cinerea.
Lifestyle:
It winters as a pupa, under the bark of the grapevines. The swarming of the first generation usually starts at the end of April. The second generation starts swarming from the end of June, whereas the third one from mid-August. Usually the first and second swarming are more intense. The third swarming is of variable strength. The female moths lay their eggs on to the bunches. The body of the larva is greenish-grey, its head is yellow.
Recommended protection:
The first protection is recommended right after the first peak swarming, with a product of long-lasting effect. Close to the time of the second peak swarming the protection is more effective with chemicals of short-term effect, since the third swarm may be very weak and another spraying is not necessary in that case, therefore the fruit and the environment will not be contaminated during ripening.
Pheromone trap placement:
Trap placement is recommended from mid-April, therefore the swarming and the accurate time of protection are well definable. Replace the dispenser and the sticky boards in every 6-7 weeks, preferably not around the time of peak swarming.
Check the traps twice a week. Pheromone traps capture the vine pests very selectively. Count the number of moths captured in the particular period and note the number. The swarming dynamics are visible from the data and the time of intervention is definable. Should the trap capture too few moths, even at peak swarming time, it refers to low infection. In this case the moths can be captured by placing some further traps in smaller gardens and the population can be controlled without spraying, so that we can preserve our environment.
Empirical swarming curve of the European grapevine moth in Central-Europe:
The introduced empirical swarming curve was prepared by using data of many years, however the swarming may be different depending on the weather and the microclimate of the arable land, therefore the thorough observation of swarming is also important.