Managing Vineyard Insect and Mite Pests
Grape Cane Borer
The grape cane borer (Amphicerus bicaudatus) is a type of beetle that is sometimes referred to as an apple twig borer. This pest is widely distributed across eastern North America and in Europe.
Symptoms
Vine damage occurs from late summer into the fall season when larvae burrow into the dead or dying canes in search of over-wintering sites. Most often they burrow into live canes where new canes meet the previous year’s wood.
Life Cycle
Cane borer overwinters in the adult stage, within burrows made in the canes (See Figure 22.5). As weather warms, they become active in the spring, and tend to fly around in evening hours.
Monitoring
Look for wilted shoots (flagging), drying leaves during the period of rapid shoot growth, and broken shoots. These broken shoots often remain hanging down from the spur after breakage.
Cultural Pest Control
Satisfactory control of grape cane borer usually is achieved through vineyard sanitation.
Biological Pest Control
Treatments with commercial formulations of the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae, which can move through frass tubes to infect larvae, may be of some benefit. See Appendix J, Beneficial Insects, Mites, and Spiders.
Chemical Pest Control
Chemical control normally is not necessary if cultural practices, such as removal of pruning wood, are observed. If large populations of adults occur in vineyard (late spring to early summer), Sevin (carbaryl) applied two to three times at 7- to 10-day intervals has given control.
Applying Control Materials
Insecticide treatments should target active adults in intervals before they lay eggs in the spring. An insecticide applied at this time may help reduce populations in the vineyard. The insecticide needs to be applied prior to significant egg-laying because the eggs are well protected.
Click on the following topics for more information on managing vineyard insect and mite pests.
