Vineyard Scouting

This page will guide you through links that describe key vineyard insects, diseases and weeds. The first step is identifying the pests, and then using scouting methods that help you determine if and when control measures are needed. Finally, recommendations for control of vinyard pests are also provided.

For management recommendations, see the 2020 New England Small Fruit Pest Management Guide or purchase the 2020 New York and Pennsylvania Pest Management Guidelines for Grapes.

For more information, please see out Pest & Disease Management page. 

To check pesticide labels, go to Crop Data Management Systams (CDMS).

Currently, the fact sheet links provided for grape diseases and insects are from Michigan State University's Integrated Vineyard Management site. If further diagnostic work is needed, samples may be sent to the UMass Diagnostic and Insect Identification Lab

For fact sheets for individual diseases pests and weeds, go to:

Key Diseases: (alphabetically)

Botrytis bunch rot of grapes

(Above: Botrytis Bunch Rot. Image credit: Ohio State Extension)

Key Insect Pests: (alphabetically)

Grape Berry Moth

(Above: Grape Berry Moth female lay eggs on developing grape berries. Larvae burrow into the berry, feeding internally. Image credit: grapesandwine.cals.cornell.edu)

Weeds: (by category)

Accurate weed identification is the first step in effective weed management. For some great pictures of weeds listed below, you can download the PDF of the New England Vegetable Management Guide Pest Identification Supplement at the New England Vegetable Management Guide website.

Perennials: (alphabetically)

  • Canada thistle
  • clovers
  • curly dock
  • dandelion
  • goldenrod
  • quackgrass
  • red sorrel
  • yellow nutsedge

Annual Grasses: (alphabetically)

  • barnyardgrass
  • fall panicum
  • large crabgrass
  • oats or rye

Annual Broadleaves: (alphabetically)

  • bedstraw
  • carpetweed
  • common chickweed
  • common lambsquarters
  • common purslane
  • galinsoga
  • horseweed
  • shepherd's purse
  • yellow wood sorrel

Quackgrass

(Above: Quackgrass, a perennial grass. Dense stands of grasses such as crabgrass and quackgrass are particularly hard to control postemergence. Image credit: turf.purdue.edu/quackgrass/)