Thanks to modern technology we are streaming our live reports today from inside the barrel room at Silverado Vineyards in Yountville, California…which is smack dab in the heart of the Napa Valley. Thankfully Silverado hasn’t had to deal with this new invasive pest and their vineyards are clear of it, but this is the middle of the quarantine area and many of your favorite wineries are here also.
“This is an insect that doesn’t belong here, its an invasive species from other parts of the world and it attacks the flowers and the fruit of grapes,” says Napa County Agricultural Commissioner Dave Whitmer.
Burrowing into the heart of Napa Valley’s wine country, a little pest about 1/3rd the size of a penny, has growers scrambling to quarantine thousands of acres of grapes, hoping to stop its spread while saving this years multi million dollar harvest. Called the European Grapevine Moth, no one knows for sure how it got here, or if it was released on purpose, but either way the insect has the potential to not only attack California’s massive wine industry, but also table grapes.
As Whitmer explains, “We got a problem, we got to circle the wagons and we’ve got to figure this thing out and I need everybody in the community to try and make everything we can to not allow this thing to get established either here in Napa or elsewhere in California.”
Thousands of yellow traps have already been placed in vineyards throughout Napa and neighboring Sonoma County. A pheromone attracts the male moth, leaving females without a mate to eventually spread the insect. While the traps capture a mate, they also give growers and the agricultural community about the idea of the spread and where the moth may be.
John Ruel, Director of Vitaculture and Winemaking for Treferton Family Vineyards say, “I think it’s a threat, I think it’s important and I think what’s really important is that we act quickly now.”
Trefethen Winery is also in the heart of the Napa Valley and Ruel says while his winery hasn’t yet attracted the pest, he is working closely with his workers to keep an eye out and he’s even mounted bat boxes which encourages a natural predator to this invasive insect. There are also other ground crops which attract other insects more friendly and natural to grapevines.
He tells me, “I can’t see all these vines, so I make sure that all of the workers who are out in the vineyards everyday see a picture of this moth, know what it looks like, know what the different life stages look like.”
Initially growers were reluctant to come forward and even place these traps because of the stigma attached to something like this, but with growing concern has come important cooperation to try and stop the pest. Because while the European grapevine moth isn’t going to wipe out the wine industry, the increased cost to growers and loss of crops could eventually hit them and you right in the pocket book. That means that potentially your favorite bottle of wine could go up and even the grapes on your table could become more expensive if this pesky pest spreads its wings across California.