Invasive moth threatens California vineyards
Invasion of pest prompts plant quarantine
VITICULTURE
March 12, 2010|By Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer A huge swath of Wine Country, including vineyards where some of the world’s best grapes are grown, was quarantined this week after an invasive moth was discovered. The European grapevine moth has already destroyed at least one vineyard’s harvest and damaged other prime vineyards in the Napa Valley, prompting the California Department of Food and Agriculture to place under quarantine 162 square miles of land, mostly in Napa County but including parts of Sonoma and Solano counties. “This is a serious threat to grape growing, not just in Napa County but throughout California,” said Greg Clark, the assistant agricultural commissioner for Napa County. “We don’t want it to become established because we’ve seen the damage this pest can do, and the damage can be severe.” The grape-gobbling pest has long been the scourge of winemakers in Europe, but the discovery of moth larvae in a Napa Valley vineyard in September marked the first time the insect had been seen in the United States. The quarantine covers two areas, the larger of which is in the heart of the Napa Valley in a region that runs roughly along Highway 29 and includes the cities of St. Helena and Yountville and reaches just over the Sonoma County line. The smaller pocket includes parts of the city of Napa and stretches into Solano County, northwest of Cordelia. The quarantine means county, state and federal agricultural commissioners will regulate the harvest, shipping and the handling of certain fruits and plants, including grapes, persimmons, olives, pomegranates and kiwi. Authorities also are asking property owners not to remove the designated plants and crops from their lands, though produce may be consumed on the properties. Inspectors are working with growers, nurseries, landscapers and other agricultural workers to limit the spread of the moth and enforce the regulations. Clark said 715 traps that draw the insects to sticky strips have been set up in the quarantine areas and there are plans to set more in growing regions throughout the state. It is the second crop-devouring moth to invade California in the past three years. The light-brown apple moth was discovered in Berkeley in 2007 and has since spread throughout every Bay Area county as well as Santa Cruz, Monterey and Los Angeles counties. An effort to eradicate the Australian invader by spraying a synthetic pheromone pesticide created an uproar among residents and environmentalists, forcing a halt to aerial spraying across the Bay Area. …
