Methods of combating bunch budworm on grapes using chemical and folk remedies

The succulent leaves of garden trees and shrubs, like a magnet, attract various pests. They do not allow the crop to develop normally, and the plant is not happy with the harvest. Insects quickly spread over vast areas and destroy gardens. Grapes are especially affected by grape budworm. All control methods may be ineffective, since the butterfly may not be detected in time. She flies not during the day, but at night, and breeds voracious offspring that adore berries.

Description of the pest

The cluster leaf roller finds the vine no matter where it grows - in the middle zone or in the south. Fruits damaged by insects rot in wet weather and dry out in hot weather.

Appearance of a butterfly and caterpillar

The wingspan of the grapeworm does not exceed 2 cm, the front wings are variegated in color. Olive feathers alternate:

• with brown;
• lead;
• red;
• light yellow.

The hind wings have a gray tint with dark edges. The butterfly, whose body length is about 13 mm, lays oblong, almost transparent light eggs with a diameter of slightly more than half a centimeter. The green-brown pupa has the same size, which is pointed at the end. For the winter, it climbs into cracks in the bark or into the ground near the root of the vine.

The berries are eaten by a caterpillar up to 10 mm long, which can have different shades - gray, olive, light yellow.

Pest life stages

Butterflies leave their shelter and begin to fly when the air heats up to 14 °C. Female individuals live for about 4 days and lay eggs. After a week or 10 days, caterpillars emerge, decorated with golden shields on the front.

The leaf roller itself turns into a chrysalis for the winter, and with the arrival of warmer weather it again becomes a butterfly.

The first generation of pests eats buds, petals and ovaries, the second drinks juice from unripe berries, and the third damages ripe grapes.

Reproduction

The butterfly flies for a little over a month. During the 3–4 days that the female lives, she lays up to 160 eggs at a time on shoots, leaves and even buds. One butterfly produces not 1, but 3 generations.The caterpillars, which live and feed for 35 days, entangle the vine and berries with a web. Damaged fruits completely rot during rain.

Butterflies fly from one plant to another, covering all the vineyards in the region. The first generation of parasites appears when the leaves bloom, the second generation is formed from pupae, and the third at the end of July.

Varieties resistant and susceptible to the parasite

Sufferes most from grape pests, the berries of which contain many essential oils. Leafworm caterpillars enjoy feasting on clusters of French varieties Pinot Noir and Aligote. Moldovan grapes are less affected by parasites:

• Frumoasa Albe - with immunity to the main crop pests;
• In Memory of Negrul - a hybrid with dense pulp;
• December - medium ripening period.

However, these varieties do not have 100% resistance to the leaf roller. To reduce the risk of pest damage, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures.

What causes leaf rollers to appear?

Humid and hot weather helps spread the parasite. The butterfly, turning into a chrysalis and hiding in the cracks of the bark, tolerates the winter well. When the leaves appear, it lays eggs, from which the first generation of caterpillars is formed.

The leaf roller flies from one vine to another plant and covers large areas in a short time, especially in mild weather. Unharvested grass near bushes, remnants of stems and the fact that it is difficult to notice the nocturnal leaf roller contribute to the spread.

What harm does it cause to grapes?

The butterfly itself and the hatched larvae do not damage the branches or touch the fruits. The caterpillars eat the ovary, buds and berries. Gardeners notice that they are more likely to attack grapevines with large, dense clusters containing many berries.

The pest is capable of destroying up to 80% of the crop.

Signs of insect infestation

The fact that parasites have appeared on the plant, feeding on the fruits, is indicated by the cobwebs entangling the shoots and bunches. Caterpillars eat the ovary, green and ripe berries, and the decay products of the pests negatively affect the condition of the grapevine.

What to do

If a web has already formed on the plant, measures will have to be taken against each generation of grape budworm. To cope with pests, various methods are used, starting with setting traps, burning affected ovaries and shoots.

Chemicals

Knowing how to deal with leaf roller, you can save the harvest. To treat grapevines with a significant number of pests, contact and systemic chemicals are used.

To destroy a small number of parasites, use:

• "Aktaru" and "Karbofos";
• “Aktellik and “Landing”;
• "Binom and Alatar".

The drugs “Alfacin”, “Fastak”, “Ivango”, “Inta-Vir” help to cope with the huge population. Plants are processed at a temperature not exceeding 23 °C.

Control with biological insecticides

Chemicals are unsafe for human health; when they accumulate in fruits, they release toxins. You can protect your crops from voracious parasites by using less harmful biological agents. Treatment of grapes with the help of “Bitoxibacillin” or “Lepiodocid” is carried out every ten days until the leaf roller population completely dies.

Folk remedies

If the number of parasites is small, it is worth trying to deal with them using a gentle method. Before the buds begin to appear, glass jars are filled with fermented jam, preserves, molasses, and tied to the plants to a height of 1.5 m.Butterflies will flock to the smell.

Spraying with a tincture of tobacco dust, a decoction of wormwood and celandine, potato and tomato tops helps to cope with the leaf roller.

Processing terms and rules

When cobwebs appear on grapes, you need to fight each generation of the parasite. Spray the vine 2 or 3 days after the butterfly activity has decreased. Treatment with folk remedies is carried out before flowering and when the ovary appears. Chemical and biological preparations must be constantly changed, otherwise the leaf roller will get used to them.

Ways to prevent re-infection

In order to prevent the appearance of a dangerous pest, when planting grapes, you need to comply with agrotechnical requirements, leave a large distance between the rows, which will ensure good lighting and ventilation of the vine.

For prevention purposes:

1. At the beginning of spring, the trunk and shoots are cleared of old bark, which must be burned.
2. After picking the berries, the plants are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture.
3. For the winter, the bushes and the ground around them are treated with copper or iron sulfate.

You need to carefully weed the area to remove weeds. Chickens, starlings, and hedgehogs help fight the leaf roller; they eat the larvae.