Relatively Uncommon Ohio Grape Pests

Grape Colaspis, Colaspis brunnea (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Chryso­melidae)

Description

This beetle overwinters in the larval form and completes development in the spring.  Adults emerge in June and are present through August. Beetles are light brown, about 5 mm long, with longitudinal rows of evenly spaced punctures on the elytra, or wing covers. There is one generation per year.

Damage

Adults feed on foliage causing elongate oval scars. Feeding is usually dispersed, and considered minor.  Other fruits and vegetables may serve as hosts for grape colaspis adults.  

Grape Leaf Skeletonizer, Har­risina americana (Guerin) (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae): Collected in black light trap, June 28, 1974, in Washington County.

Description

This pest ranges throughout the eastern United States.  It is usually not a serious pest of grapes but on occasion the larval stage has been known to cause extensive defoliation of vines.  Adult moths are black with a yellowish or orange collar.  The larvae are yellowish and have black spots or bands.  They are slightly more than 1/2 inch long when mature.

Damage

Brown, necortic skeletonized leaf tissue is the result of young larvae feeding on the foliage.  As the larvae mature they will devour the leaf, leaving only a few large veins.  Larvae are often found feeding in groups.  As they mature they tend to disperse into smaller groups or as isolated individuals.

Grapevine Looper, Eulithis diversilineata (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae): Common in four counties in 1985.

Description

Overwintering eggs hatch in late spring. Larvae range in color from yellow green to red to nearly black.  They feed on foliage for six to eight weeks.  The pupal stage lasts about 10 days and is spent in a loose web spun on a leaf or berry cluster.  Adults emerge in midsummer and lay overwintering eggs.  There is one generation annually.

Damage

The larval stage feeds on foliage for six to eight weeks during the summer and are considered to be a minor pest in Ohio vineyards.  Vineyards receiving regular treatment for other pests seldom experience a problem with grapevine looper.

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