Pests to take into account when releasing the vineyard

Very good again! In this week’s article I want to discuss a very important topic in relation to our vineyard. I am going to explain to you from my point of view, which are the pests to take into account when releasing the vineyard. These pests that I am going to talk to you about below are quite widespread in this area of Montilla and Aguilar de la Frontera, in fact, there have been numerous vineyard uprootings due to one of them, but it may be that in your area they are not This occurs, so it is not applicable to the general area of the vineyard, but to localized areas where this damage occurs.

The rabbits

The first of the two pests that I am going to talk to you about are rabbits. These beautiful animals are currently one of the biggest threats that our vineyard may have. As I told you at the beginning, this pest is what has caused the uprooting of numerous plots planted with vineyards.

Furthermore, in the shedding of the vineyard they are much more dangerous, since for one of these animals to satisfy its hunger, it is necessary for it to ingest a large quantity of buds or shoots, with the consequent damage it causes to the farmer and the vineyard, because Sometimes the vine dries out due to the continued cutting of the buds or shoots.

One of the ways to prevent this pest is by fencing with metal mesh the entire surface that is cultivated with vines when it is of low vines. This prevents animals from entering, but requires constant maintenance, which can extend from the beginning of flowering until the harvest is harvested. This consists of safeguarding that the mesh that protects our plot is always in good condition and can prevent rabbits from entering our vineyard.

Another way to protect our vineyard is by using individual protectors on each vine, this is more applicable to new trellised vines. It also requires regular maintenance, although less constant than the previous one, since it is more difficult for a protector to break. Additionally, it will cause less damage because it would only affect a single strain.

The hairy caterpillar

Another very harmful pest in the vineyard is the hairy caterpillar. These worms feed on plants such as all types of forage or the buds of the vineyard. The critical time to take this pest into account is the shoot, since once the bud has grown into a shoot, the damage it causes is much less.

Unlike the previous one, this pest does not require continuous maintenance, because once the bud has grown to a considerable size, these worms, being so small, are not capable of causing the same damage by satisfying their hunger as a rabbit. .

The most effective way to prevent this pest is to monitor our plot and the surrounding plots in the months of January to February, to check if there are the dreaded cobwebs that harbor these worms. If you find that there is any, it is best to treat with the appropriate product for its correct elimination.

I advise you not to wait for these animals to spread, because once they have grown and left the spider web, they are very difficult to locate, so you should treat the entire vineyard plot, including the vines themselves.

The most appropriate time to be able to locate these cobwebs more easily is early in the morning, when the field still retains the dew that falls at dawn, this way they are marked much better. Another very important detail when treating is that you extend the radius of application beyond the spider web itself, because on many occasions, I have found the main caterpillar nest, a little further away from the spider web itself.

I hope that these tips will help you improve the safety of your vineyard plot against these important and harmful pests that affect the vineyard at its most critical point, the shedding. A very strong greeting and until next time.

By Rafael Espejo.