Surveillance of the grape berry moth, Endopiza viteana Clemens, in Virginia vineyards to detect emergence, flight and infestation

Surveillance of the grape berry moth, Endopiza viteana Clemens, was conducted among nine geographic regions in Virginia using pheromone traps placed in and around vineyards (n=20) from 30 March to 15 October, 2010. Each region was represented by at least two vineyards, and monitoring and trap reports were maintained weekly by individual vineyard operators. Phenological events such as emergence and flight periodicity were evaluated alongside local and regional weather data using growing degree-day computations from a network of weather instruments at agricultural research stations and individual vineyards in the study area. A randomized complete block design with stratified random samples was used in separate trapping studies, each with one factor and two treatment levels. Factors were vineyard trap location (edge, interior) and woods trap height (2-m, 8-m). Six traps were deployed in and around each vineyard, including four in a vineyard block and two on a vertical trap line in a proximal forested edge. In the vineyard block, two traps were placed at the edge of the vineyard and two traps were placed in the interior of the vineyard. A split-plot randomized complete block design was used to evaluate grape cluster infestation by grape berry moth at the edge and interior of vineyard blocks (n=20) at three stages of grape development: bloom, veraison, and pre-harvest. Moths emerging in the spring were first captured 2 April in the easternmost region of Virginia while the greatest abundance of capture was found in vineyards east of the Blue Ridge Mountains.