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There are several kinds of pests that can put your grapevine in risk: disease, insects, birds and deer.

There are several kinds of pests that can put your grapevine in risk: disease, insects, birds and deer.

Disease:

Amongst the most common diseases affecting vines are black rot, mildew, phomopsis cane, leaf spot, and fungus. Each different disease has symptoms that are unique, but many of these diseases have similar symptoms, so a thorough research must be done in order to determine the true source of the problem. The most repeated symptoms of these common grapevine diseases are leaf discoloration, fruit decay or a film of slime covering the leaves. In the case your grapevine comes down with any of these, or other, diseases, a fungicide can be used to fix the issue.

Insects:

Grape berry moths are a common grapevine threat. They lay their eggs on top of the grapes, and the larvae then hatches into the fruit leaving behind tiny holes. Grape leafhoppers feed on the under-parts of the leaves. Thankfully, only a big population of this type of insect will truly jeopardize your vine. Japanese beetles are a common threat to USA's vineyards, as their population seems to be growing bigger every year. Rose chafers feed directly from the fruit itself, leaving insect bites behind as evidence of their damage. Even though grapevines can endure a great amount of insect damage and it's generally not necessary to control this kind of pest, a insecticide can be used to reduce infestation.

Birds:

Birds are probably, one of the most damaging pests that your grapevine will encounter. However, there a various solutions to bird pests that are easy to employ. Some people find relief by installing a net over their grapevines, establishing a physical barrier between the birds and the fruit. Nevertheless, this net must be removed during the winter months in order to prevent icing over the plants. Another option to control a bird problem in your grapevine is to use visual repellents to guide the birds away from the vineyard. The most popular visual repellents used by grape growers are aluminum plates, faux hawks, owls or snakes.

Deer:

Deer are also a pest to grapevines particularly in early spring when shoots are just emerging and food sources for the deer are scarce. Odor repellents are extremely effective when it comes to controlling deer. Grape growers can use the scent of human or dg hair or soap. Since coyote are natural predators to deer, using the scent of coyotes can also be highly effective.

With all of the dedication and hard work it takes to produce a grape crop, preventing pests from ruining it should be a high priority.

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