| Pheromone strip. |
We use organic pheromone strips (allowed by our certifier) in the vineyard to disrupt the mating cycle of the Vine Mealybug. It has been very effective! Use of these strips has reduced vine mealybug populations enormously in the last three years.
The insects were introduced into southern California from Mexico in the early 1990’s. They were not detected in Napa County until fall of 2009.
In early 2010 the county supplied us with the strips, and the count went from over 100,000 trapped in 2010 to 113 trapped in 2011.
Due to funding, this year we are on our own. In May neighbors gathered to order more of the strips, promising each other to use them. It depends on us all as Vine Mealybugs pay no attention to fences. It is another example of the importance of working together.