The grape berry moth, Endopiza viteana, is a major pest of vineyards throughout eastern North America, but optimal timing of insecticides for its control remains unclear. To compare the efficacy and optimal timing of broad-spectrum and selective ecdysone agonist insecticides, fruit dip bioassays were conducted using azinphos-methyl, fenpropathrin, carbaryl, tebufenozide, and methoxyfenozide. Grapes were treated with field rate equivalent insecticide solutions either before egglaying, 24 to 48h after egglaying, or after larvae had emerged. Treatments were followed by assessments of egg hatch and larval survival. No effect of tebufenozide or methoxyfenozide on egg survival was detected, suggesting that these compounds may not be effective at preventing berry penetration by newly hatched larvae. Fenpropathrin, azinphos-methyl, and carbaryl treatments all provided significant mortality when grapes were treated 24 to 48h after eggs were laid. When insecticides were applied after larvae had emerged, all treatments had significantly fewer larvae compared to the control. Low larval survival in grapes that were treated with ecdysone agonists after larval emergence suggests that this class has promising activity against early instars of grape berry moth. The significance of these results for strategies of grape berry moth control will be discussed.
Species 1: Lepidoptera Tortricidae Endopiza viteana (grape berry moth)
Keywords: ecdysone agonist, bioassay
Back to Ten-Minute Papers, Section F. Crop Protection Entomology
Back to Ten-Minute Papers, Section F. Crop Protection Entomology, Subsections Fa and Fb
Back to The 2002 ESA Annual Meeting and Exhibition