Vine moth
(Eupoecilia ambiguella)
It has two generations evolving every year in Europe. It likes the wetter, cooler climate.
Food plant:
Grape, occasionally 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 larvae of the second generation chew out the inside of the still green berries. The chewed berries open up the way to botrytis cinerea.
Lifestyle:
Winters as a pupa, in a webbed cocoon, on the head of the vine or in the cracks of the poles. Depending on the year and weather the swarming of the first generation starts in the beginning of May and lasts until mid-June. The second generation swarms from the second half of July, until mid-August. The moths place their eggs mostly on to the bunches. The body of the caterpillar is reddish-brown, its head is dark brown, therefore its clearly distinguishable from the larva of the European grapevine moth.
Recommended protection:
If the pheromone traps catch the individuals of the first generation in larger numbers, the hatching of the first caterpillars, in mid-May and at the end of July, will help to decide whether further chemical pesticide protection is necessary. Chemical protection is the most effective at the time of peak swarming and mass hatching by treating the bunches. In order to achieve effective protection, it is necessary to ensure that pheromone trap observation of and the protection against the European grapevine moth are aligned.
Pheromone trap placement:
Trap placement is recommended at the end of April. Replace the dispensers and the sticky boards before the second swarming.
Check the traps twice a week. 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 vine 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.