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Grapes

Integrated Pest Management for Brown Marmorated Stink Bug in Grapes

This guidance document, authored by the BMSB SCRI CAP Vineyard Crop Commodity Team, provides a synopsis of what researchers have learned so far and management recommendations using an integrated approach.

Topics Include

• Basic Biology and Life Cycle of BMSB
• Vineyard Crops at Risk / Crops Not at Risk
• Grape Injury Diagnostics
• Period of Risk/Susceptibility
• Provisional Monitoring and Scouting Recommendations
• Provisional Management Strategies
• Biological Control

Integrated Pest Management for Brown Marmorated Stink Bug in Grapes

Manejo integrado de plagas para la chinche apestoza café marmolada en viñedos

Extent of BMSB Problem in Grapes

BMSB may damage not only grape berries, but also may cause abscission of entire clusters (the plant will cut off and drop fruit.) Insecticides control BMSB to a degree. Also, the use of broad-spectrum insecticides may cause outbreaks of grape mealybug, the vector for grapevine leafroll, a serious plant virus.

Research Goals

Researchers are monitoring for BMSB primarily in various cultivars of wine grapes, both red and white. They are studying BMSB feeding, monitoring risks to commercial vineyards, and seeking an effective control strategy. They are monitoring in Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Updates and Findings

• BMSB threatens commercial vineyards, and researchers are trying to determine the degree of that risk.
• Feeding on berries causes a necrosis and shriveling. Adults start laying eggs in late spring; population dynamics in vineyards appear to be affected by which crops are nearby.
• Initial observations in 2012 suggest that BMSB presence in wine grapes after harvest does not affect wine taste and scent. While there is a distinct taint in freshly crushed juice, the taint does not appear to be stable after the fermentation and bottling process.

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