European grapevine moth

Lobesia botrana, the European grapevine moth, is the classic cluster pest of Old-World vineyards and the counterpart to North America’s grape berry moth. Its three or so generations track the vine’s season: the first feeds on flower clusters, spinning them into little silken nests, while later generations bore into the berries themselves.

As with the berry moth, the damage that hurts most is often the rot that follows — every punctured berry invites Botrytis and sour rot into the cluster. Control leans heavily on timing and, in many regions, on pheromone mating disruption, which floods the vineyard with the female scent so males can’t find mates. Traps tell growers when each generation is flying so that Bt, spinosad, or a conventional spray lands when eggs are hatching.