ENY-713 Insect Pests of Grapes in Florida1

Florida has approximately 1,700 acres of grapes. Muscadine grapes, Vitis rotundifolia Michx are the principal type of grapes cultivated in Florida. Only a few acres (< 200) of bunch grapes, Euvitis spp., are grown in Florida. In general, grapes are susceptible to many insect pests. Some of the common insect pests attacking grapes in Florida include: grape root borer, glassy-winged sharpshooter, grape flea beetle, grapevine aphid, grape leaffolder, grape curculio, and grape phylloxera. Grape Root Borer, Vitacea polistiformis (Harris) The grape root borer (Figure 1) is the most serious threat to grapes in Florida (Liburd and Seferina 2004). It is a mem-ber of the moth family Sesiidae. Adults are brown moths with thin yellow bands on the abdomen and resemble som