You are here:
AGRICULTURAL APPLICATION > Grape vine moth
common name: Grape vine moth
scientific name: Lobesia botrana (Denis and Schiffermüller), Polychrosis botrana (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)
Below:
• Description
• Biology
• Life cycle
• Damage
DESCRIPTION
Adult (photo 57,8 Kb): 18 to 20
millimetres wingspan. Long and thin antennae, pearly gray fore wings sprinkled with small
reddish brown areas with 3 slightly slanted bands; one at the base, one at the center of the
wing, broadened in its middle and one apical, quite dark bordered by a clearer zone.
The grayish hind wings, with a darker marginal zone are bordered with gray bristles.
Egg: circular, of a diameter of 0.6 to 0.7 millimetres, slightly convex, whitish green
with a rainbow hue.
Larva (photo 27,2 Kb): 8 to 9
millimetres, narrow, yellowish green to grayish green, brownish yellow head and thoracic plate;
this caterpillar is very agile and moves about rapidly; when it is disturbed, it drops to the
ground, suspending itself by a silk thread.
Pupa (photo 55,4 Kb): in a silken
cocoon inside the bunch of grapes, in the folds of dry leaves, under the bark or the straw mulch
as well as in the support-stake cracks or under earth mounds.
Back to top of page
BIOLOGY
Host plant: vine but also Daphne gnidium, a wild plant extremely common to the south
of France and which seems to be its original host, as well as ivy (Hedera), privet
(Ligustrum vulgaris), black currant, currant.
Adult (photo 57,8 Kb): active at
night, the moth can fly several hundred meters and looks for dry places. The flights take place
when the temperature is at least 14 degrees Celsius but under 31 degrees Celsius.
Lifespan: 10 to 12 days. Mating begins at nightfall and egg laying starts 2 to 3 days
later. The first generation eggs are laid on the flower bud, sometimes on the bracts, the
vine-shoots or the leaves, those of later generations on the grains.
Fecundity: 40 to 60 eggs.
Egg: development lasts 6 to 9 days for the first generation; itlasts only 4 to 6 days
for the later generations, the temperature being higher.
Larva (photo 27,2 Kb): the
first generation larva has a "strolling stage" of a few hours.
After having slipped between 2 or 3 flower buds, it spins a few threads then
perforates the flower envelopes and penetrates the bud; it may enter the
peduncle of the bunch of grapes and cause the drying up of the bunch. The caterpillar
is active and spins a relatively large sheath, difficult to detect. The
caterpillar of later generations move about for only a few minutes and attack
fruits: they web several fruits together with silk threads then nibble them
or penetrate them.
Pupa (photo 55,4 Kb):
development lasts 10 to 14 days. Over wintering occurs in the pupal stage, under the bark
of the stump or in support-stake cracks.
Back to top of page
LIFE CYCLE
2, 3 and sometimes 4 generations depending on the region and whether the summer has been hot.
The moths appear from the end April until the end May depending on the
regions, generally when the vine has 3 or 4 leaves. They emerge at intervals
and the flights spread over 2 to 3 weeks. The caterpillar finishes its
development at the time of flowering then pupates. The second flight takes
place end of June-July; the more advanced caterpillars pupate and the third
flight occurs between mid-August and the end of September.
Back to top of page
DAMAGE
Damage can be important: The caterpillars gnaw the almost ripe fruits and various moulds, in
particular Botrytis, develop very rapidly on the wounds; the attacked
fruits turn brown at the place of attack and rot. The presence of
larvae (photo 27,2 Kb) and rotten fruits lowers
the quality of the crop; moulds render vine making difficult and may require the
crop to be harvested prematurely.
Back to top of page