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Vine Mealy Bug Management

Identify Early

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Vine mealybug: Planococcus ficus

  • Key pest of grapes

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  • Feeding behavior
    • Piercing and sucking mouth parts
    • Phloem feeder (secretes honeydew)
    • Can feed on all parts of the vine but prefers feeding on grape clusters

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  • Damage
    • Cluster contamination
    • Vine defoliation which results in fruit sunburn
    • Reduce vine vigor (especially of young vines)
    • Transmission of virus (Grape leafroll Virus)

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  • Dispersal
    • Walking on their own along cables, harvest equipment, wind, birds, and ants

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Vine Mealybug-Life Cycle

    • Sexual reproduction (males and female mealybugs)

    • Females produce egg masses containing 200-300 crawlers

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    • Hatching period can last 2-3 weeks

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    • Developing temperature threshold for mealybugs is: ~65 degrees

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    • 6-7 generations per year

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Potential for Seasonal Reproduction of ONE Mealybug

(assuming 5% survival rate)

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1 mealybug X 10 X 10 X 10 X 10 X 10 X 10 X 10 = 10,000,000 mealybugs!!

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Vine mealybug Development and movement in Grapes

November-March

Overwintering

Mid-March

1st and 2nd instars moving to buds to feed

1st crawler hatch

Late-April- Early-May

2nd generation crawler hatch

Early June

3rd Generation Crawler hatch

Crawler invade basal leaves and clusters

July-October

Overlapping Generations

Most spray programs start Here

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Effective Insecticides Registered to Control Vine Mealybug

  • Movento (IRAC group 23)
    • Very systemic and long residual
    • The best vine mealybug insecticide in the market
    • Needs a penetrating surfactant

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  • Applaud (IRAC Group 16)
    • Contact and long residual
    • Only controls nymphal stages

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  • Imidacloprid, Thiamethoxam, Dinotefuran, Clothianidin (Soil applied) IRAC group 4A
    • Systemic, soil applied

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  • Contact knockdown materials: Assail, Sivanto, Fujimite, Belay

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  • Pyrethroid Insecticides: Do not use for mealybug control.

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Spray Application Windows and Optimal Spray Program

Budbreak- 4 inches shoot

Late may-early June

Cleanup in-season

Root flush (3rd week April)

Soil applied

Post-Harvest

Overwintering

Only if Necessary

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Vine Mealy Bug Management

  • Identify early –
    • NOW - Set pheromone traps and monitor every 14 days – reset pheromone every 30 days
    • NOW - Look for First crawler stage –
    • FIRST SIGN OF CRAWLERS Treat with Applauded and Freeway Surfactant
    • FIRST SIGN OF ANTS - Treat Argentine ants - Boric acid 1.5% WW and sugar
    • Pheromone disruption - Suterra CheckMate Sprayable or dispensers

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Bio Controls

  • Pheromone
  • Beneficial
  • Ant control

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Biocontrol Mealybugs Lodi

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Arginine Ants �Boric Acid formula 1.25%

Fromula in oz

Specific

1 gallon

5 Gallon

25 gallon

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1 gallon

 

Liquid Conversions for 1 gallon

 

 

Gravity

oz

oz

oz

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oz

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Boric acid SG Dry OZ

1.44

2.30

11.52

57.60

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2.30

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Cups

Quarts

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Molasses SG Liquid OZ

1.47

47.04

235.20

1176.00

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47.04

=

5.8

1.5

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Water SG Liquid OZ

1

78.66

393.28

1966.40

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78.66

=

9.7

2.5

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Percent solution Boric Acid

1.25%

 

 

 

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Percent solution Molasses

25.00%

 

 

 

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Liquid in Oz

 

128.00

640.00

3200.00

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Liquid in Gal

 

1.00

5.00

25.00

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Mass Water lb./gal

8.34

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Bio Controls

  • Pheromone
  • Beneficial
  • Ant control

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SWA Vine Mealybug Video