# Organic grape berry moth control?



## dwhill40 (Feb 21, 2018)

Hello,
I had sour rot at harvest last season and after a bit of investigation I finally realized what the little moths are all about. Has anyone had success controlling gbm using spinosad? I have ample good bugs from black widows to assassin beetles patrolling and I really don't want to disturb the balance.
TIA


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## jgmillr1 (Feb 21, 2018)

Looks like BT (Bacillis thuringiensis) can be used to control GBM organically. 

I can't comment on how well it works though. No organic vineyard for me, I just spray the suckers down with Sevin.


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## JimInNJ (Mar 1, 2018)

Spinosad is good stuff, and is labeled for GBM, but I rotate it with non-organic products like Acetamiprid, so I can't say how good Spinosad is alone on GBM.


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## dwhill40 (Mar 1, 2018)

Thanks for the replies. Organic isn't my objective really. I just want to selectively go after GBM and not kill predator bugs. I have to dose with imidacloprid after budbreak to make sure sapsuckers don't infect my vines and give them PD. Guess it has worked so far. Maybe a heavy extended dose of spinosad during the early season will break up the gbm life cycle. If not, I'll break out the sevin.


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## balatonwine (Mar 2, 2018)

Some options are listed here:

http://fruit.cfans.umn.edu/grapes/pest/grapeipmguide/insect/grape-berry-moth/

Organic pest controls are typically of three types:

1) Physical - You change the environment that destroys the conditions that promotes the pest (such as raking up leaves, or burning cuttings), traps for pests (usually includes pheromone lures in traps which can either capture or serialize and release), etc.

2) Biological - Using living critters, such as parasitoids, bacteria, companion plants/animals, etc.

3) Chemical - Often elemental sprays (sulfur, copper, etc), fermented "teas" (milk whey, stinging nettle, garlic, etc.), etc., but also technically includes pheromones for insects either as trap lures or to disrupt their breeding cycle.


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## David Ortiz (Aug 4, 2018)

True. Organic pest control methods involve the use of natural mechanisms such as natural predation, parasitism, and herbivory to control and eradicate pests such as insects and mites, and plant troubles such as weeds and aphids. If the infestation goes out of control the professionals like pest inspection Davis can be called in to come and inspect the vineyard and do the needful for the healthy growth.


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## Masbustelo (Aug 4, 2018)

It looks like BT is effective on the larva. BT is very inexpensive and safe to operator and bees etc. You could probably incorporate it routinely with your weekly spraying program, and not have much trouble with them. If youve missed the larval stage , it wont help. Next year if it was incorporated early on you might find them highly controlled later in the season. Note: The insecticide manufacturers would rather that you use their products, and spinosad is destructive to bees.


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## SundownVineyard (Aug 16, 2018)

dwhill40 said:


> Thanks for the replies. Organic isn't my objective really. I just want to selectively go after GBM and not kill predator bugs. I have to dose with imidacloprid after budbreak to make sure sapsuckers don't infect my vines and give them PD. Guess it has worked so far. Maybe a heavy extended dose of spinosad during the early season will break up the gbm life cycle. If not, I'll break out the sevin.


I'm a rookie when it comes to grape vines, but an Arborist by trade. I dont know that Imidacloprid should be used on anything to be consumed. Maybe grapes for wine making are a different story. Couple questions: What is PD and how would Imidacloprid keep sapsuckers from pecking at your vines???


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## Masbustelo (Aug 16, 2018)

Pierce's Disease


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## Dennis Griffith (Aug 17, 2018)

Masbustelo said:


> It looks like BT is effective on the larva. BT is very inexpensive and safe to operator and bees etc. You could probably incorporate it routinely with your weekly spraying program, and not have much trouble with them. If youve missed the larval stage , it wont help. Next year if it was incorporated early on you might find them highly controlled later in the season. Note: The insecticide manufacturers would rather that you use their products, and spinosad is destructive to bees.



Thuricide is what I use on apples, but would work just fine on grapes (as far as larvae go). I treat the soil in and around the vineyard with milky spore as it gets all larvae in the soil. I get it in 20 pound bags on Amazon. Neem oil is also something you may consider as it's considered 'safe' and it's cheap enough. It is labeled as an insecticide, but it is more a repellent. There is some research to suggest that Neem, used annually, causes disruption in the life cycle of beetles (ie, Japanese, my nemesis). So I throw it into the mix from time to time.


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## Karl (Aug 29, 2018)

jgmillr1 said:


> Looks like BT (Bacillis thuringiensis) can be used to control GBM organically.
> 
> I can't comment on how well it works though. No organic vineyard for me, I just spray the suckers down with Sevin.



Any specific time of year for this? I have some serious sour rot issues, and i am sure it is caused from the berry moth larvae.


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## Dennis Griffith (Aug 29, 2018)

Karl said:


> Any specific time of year for this? I have some serious sour rot issues, and i am sure it is caused from the berry moth larvae.



The sooner the better. You'll need to apply the milky spore in and around your vineyard and wait. It takes from 3 months to a year for the culture to get established. I apply some annually just to make sure I keep it at full strength. It will kill any insect in the larvae stage in the soil. It's also why I apply it to apples as any eggs laid will hatch larvae, and when they start trying to dig in, they get a mouth full of BT. Also remember that if you till the soil where BT is established, the aeration will kill it off. I wait til the new vines are planted, then I treat the rows (and around the rows) with milky spore. I get it in 20 pound bags off Amazon. I'm hoping it will also work on grape root borer. I don't have that issue, but they are having problems with it in Kentucky, and that's not far away.


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## Dennis Griffith (Aug 29, 2018)

SundownVineyard said:


> I'm a rookie when it comes to grape vines, but an Arborist by trade. I dont know that Imidacloprid should be used on anything to be consumed. Maybe grapes for wine making are a different story. Couple questions: What is PD and how would Imidacloprid keep sapsuckers from pecking at your vines???



I would not recommend using any type of systemic insecticide on something you plan on consuming. I, too, am a practicing arborist that has embraced the 'dark side' of viticulture. I think I'm addicted now and beyond retrieve.


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