Hello nurseratched-ga,
It seems there are over 4,000 species of aphids, appearing in two
forms. One form attacks the roots - causing the most damage, and one
form attacks the leaves. The ensuing areas of damage allow a secondary
fungal infection, downy mildew fungus, to attack the vines, for a
double whammy!
http://www.ento.vt.edu/Fruitfiles/phylloxera.html
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/jaashle2/grapes/
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/gh-aphid.html
This site recommends clearing the area of weeds, to help deter the
phylloxera, and destroying any dead leaves. Also, check your vines for
magnesium or phosphorus deficiency. Vines deficient in these nutrients
become more susceptible to phylloxera attack.
?Encourage natural predators - these include ladybirds, lacewings and
wasps, ie Encarsia and also pathogenic fungi.?
http://www.organicpathways.co.nz/AnswerFile.cfm?QuestionID=166
The page above links to this page with a suggested organic remedy for
aphids, to which phylloxera are closely related.
Some of the solutions on this site are:
Garlic:
1. Soak 75g chopped garlic bulbs in 2tsp mineral oil for 24 hours. Add
1 pint water mixed with 7g soft soap. Stir well and strain in
non-metallic container and store. To use: dilute 1 part of mixture to
20 parts water.
2. Boil 10 cloves garlic, 4-5 very hot chillies, 2-3 onions for 5-10
mins. Stand overnight. Add liquid soap or milk. Store in glass bottle.
To use: 1 small cup mixture to 7 litres water.
Pyrethrum:
Grind dry flowers or extract with kerosene. Remains toxic for 12
hours. Non toxic to mammals, but this will kill bees, ladybirds and
other beneficial predators. Spray in evening when bees etc, are less
active.
Salt spray:
50g common salt to 3.7 litres water.
Soap spray:
Use soft soap (made with potassium carbonate and not caustic soda)
Dissolve 50g in 4.5 litres hot water. Apply when cool.
http://www.organicpathways.co.nz/AnswerFile.cfm?QuestionID=135
Here is a prepared garlic spray, called Garlic Barrier, you can obtain online:
http://www.garlicbarrier.com/
According to Grapeseek.com, a 3% Bordeaux Mixture is effective
against phylloxera. Bordeaux mixture originated in France in the
1860's to control grape diseases, brought there from the US.
http://www.grapeseek.com/webpages/orgrecipes.htm
Tracker Outdoors suggests an alcohol spray, and has several aphid
solutions on the site.
?How to Make: Use only 70% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol): mix
1 to 2 cups alcohol per quart of water. Using undiluted alcohol as a
spray is very risky for plants. You can also mix up an insecticidal
soap spray according to the dilution on the label but substitute
alcohol for half of the
water required.
How to Use: Since alcohol can damage plants always test your spray
mix on a few leaves or plants first. Tests results should show up
within 2 or 3 days.?
A nicotine tea sprayed on the leaves is an effective root aphid destroyer:
?Nicotine is effective against ground and soil pests, especially root
aphids and fungus gnats, and on many leaf-chewing insects, such as
aphids, immature scales, leafhoppers, thrips, leaf miners, pear
psylla, and asparagus beetle larvae.
How To Make: You can brew your own batch of nicotine tea by soaking
tobacco leaves or cigarette butts in water to make a spray. Soak 1 cup
of dried, crushed tobacco leaves, or an equivalent amount of cigarette
butts, in one gallon of warm water with 1/4 teaspoon pure soap added.
Strain the mixture through cheesecloth after it has soaked for 1/2
hour. The solution will keep for several weeks if stored in a tightly
closed container.?
(Copyright prevents me from listing all the remedies on this site.)
http://www.tracker-outdoors.com/organic_insect_control.htm
According to this study, most pesticides are not useful against
phylloxera because the pest gets too deep into the ground for
pesticides to reach, and suggests using Entomopathogenic Nematodes.
Nematodes are apparently expensive, but if your vineyard is small,
this may be of help. The site says it does not eradicate pests
completely, but can help keep them low in number.
They also suggest ?Keeping equipment clean is key to preventing an
outbreak. Also, when a section of a vineyard is known to contain an
infestation, never move equipment from the infested site to an
uninfested site. And above all, remember to use resistant rootstocks.?
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/jaashle2/grapes/
The type of nematodes recommended on the above site can be purchased
here. The cost to cover 2,000 square feet is $29.95
http://www.extremelygreen.com/nematodeguide.cfm
?For aphid control, lady beetles and lacewings are very effective.
Lady beetle adults and larvae are voracious feeders on aphids. If they
are purchased commercially, release them at sundown, to prevent some
from flying away immediately. Praying mantids are impressive predators
and fun to watch, but are as likely to feed on butterflies and bees as
any harmful pests.?
http://www.southface.org/home/sfpubs/sfjv497/pestman.html
Peppermint Oil Soap
?A couple of ounces dissolved in water provide an excellent foliar
cleaning spray and insect repellent. Used in conjuction with Kleen 'em
Away Naturally, you have a superior insect contact spray. The soap
increases the surfactant qua lities of the Kleen 'em Away Naturally,
and the extended drying time of the soap allows the natural properties
of the enzymes to remain active and effective for a longer period of
time.?
http://www.biconet.com/home/pos.html
?Least-toxic pesticides used against aphids in greenhouses include
insecticidal soap (M-Pede?), horticultural oil (UltraFine SunSpray
spray oil?), and botanical insecticides such as neem (Azatin?,
Neemazad?, and Neemix?), or natural pyrethrums?
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/gh-aphid.html
This site also has a list of suggested aphid controllers
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/gh-aphid.html#appendixii
Insect Growth Regulators:
?Insect growth regulators (IGRs) are another least-toxic pesticide
control option for pests. IGRs typically kill insects by disrupting
their development. They have a complex mode of action that precludes
insects from rapidly developing resistance. IGRs can work in one of
several ways: 1) they can mimic juvenile hormones, so that insects
never enter the reproductive stage of development; 2) they can
interfere with the production of chitin, which makes up the shell of
most insects; or 3) they can interfere with the molting process.?
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/gh-aphid.html
Bacillus thuringiensis:
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/pathogens/bacteria.html
http://ipm.ncsu.edu/urban/cropsci/c03altpr/biologic.html
Home Harvest Natural Insect Dusts
?Bonide Garden Dust
Organic insecticide / fungicide dust. A specially formulated,
completely organic, general purpose product designed for convenient
use as a dust or spray on vegetables, fruit and flowers. Colored green
to blend with foliage. Contains rotenone and cube resins for insect
control and copper for disease and fungal control. Use on consumable
crops up to the day before harvest. Works against aphids, leafhoppers,
exposed thrips, cherry fruit flies, red-necked borers, Japanese
beetles, mites and rose chafers; scab black rot, powdery mildew, fire
blight, anthracnose, brown rot blossom blight, sooty blotch, leaf
spot, frog eye, stem blight, shothole, peach canker, apple cedar rust
and peach leaf curl on peach, sour cherry, grape, apple, pear and
nectarines.?
They also carry diatomaceous earth for aphid control.
?Safer D-E Plus Ant & Crawling Insect Killer is made from a patented
formula containing amorphous diatomaceous earth, known as silicon
dioxide, and selected baits. Insects come into contact with the powder
or ingest it and literally dry up and die within 48 hours. D-E Plus is
an odorless, non-staining powder that remains effective in the control
of insects as long as it is present.?
http://homeharvest.com/insectdusts.htm
Windbreaks, syrphids (hoverflies), and green lacewings:
?Windbreaks can also be important sources of predatory true bugs
(Hemiptera) that can colonize adjoining orchards.?
Sryphids are aphid predators. ?Wind shelter afforded by windbreaks and
hedgerows can lead to increased activity by aphidophagous hoverflies
(Diptera: Syrphidae), based on studies conducted in England. Using
segregating traps and painted pan traps containing water and
detergent, Lewis (1%Sa) showed that adult syrphids occurred in areas
sheltered by artificial windbreaks?
http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/newsltr/components/v1n3/sa-7.htm
?Biocontrols for Aphids Several biological control agents attack
aphids, including the specialist parasitic wasps, Aphidius and
Aphelinus, and the general aphid predators, Aphidoletes, green
lacewings and ladybugs--Coleomegilla, Harmonia and Hippodamia Using
more than one of these adds diversity and stability to your biocontrol
program.? You can order predator insects here, if you like.
http://www.rinconvitova.com/aphid%20control.htm
This page has several organic ?recipes? for controlling pests and also
recommends lacewings as a predator insect. ?Lacewings: One of the most
beneficial insects. It is the larvae of the lacewings that do all the
work. These larvae are called aphid lions or ant lions. You will find
them available in the egg form. Their preferred appetite includes
aphids, mealybugs, many worms, red spider mites, thrips, and scale.?
http://www.texasgrown.com/pages/inthegarden.htm
Would it be possible for you to cover your grapevines?
http://www.crocus.co.uk/organics/pests/
Additional Information:
This site also suggests raising hardier grapes, but also suggests soap
products, diatomaceous earth, and thuringiensis (B.t.) natural
bacteria spray
http://viticulture.hort.iastate.edu/info/pdf/orggrape31_40.pdf
This site lists numerous grapevine pests. I have referred to the aphid
problem above, but this site may prove useful in the future, if other
pests decide to make your grapes their meal!
http://www.ento.vt.edu/Fruitfiles/grape-fruit-ipm.html
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/jaashle2/grapes/
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/info/biocont.html
This is an archived page that has been removed from its host site,
and discusses grape phylloxera. Its message is not very positive ?The
current solution for phylloxera infestation involves ripping out
infested vines, fumigating soils using methyl bromide, and replanting
with resistant rootstock strains. This costly, toxic and
labor-intensive approach depends on resistant rootstock and is
becoming less effective as pure resistant lines become less common
over time.?
http://web.archive.org/web/20031228204919/http://www.agroecology.org/cases/phylloxera.htm
To get rid of aphids without pesticides:
Spray plants with ?bubble bath? of soapy water; rinse off after
animals are dead. Order from garden store: green Lacewing adults and
larvae; "defatted" Ladybug adults
and larvae. Plant nasturtium in the garden. Cut up 3 pounds rhubarb
or elder leaves. Boil ½ hour in 3 quarts water. Strain and cool.
Dissolve 1 oz. soap in one quart water. Mix two solutions and spray.
In garden, plant tansy.
http://www.eisc.ca/green-advice.html#alternatives
Here is a gardening forum, that is discussing aphid control.
http://differentdawn.com/board/archive/index.php/t-293.html
This is a list of books on organic grapevine growing. The call numbers
may be different in your library, but the ISBN numbers will be the
same, and your librarian will be glad to help you locate any book.
http://agebb.missouri.edu/mac/library/search.asp?search_val=118
There you go! I trust you will find one or more solutions to your pest
problem in the above answer. I wish you luck with your grapes, and I
wish more people considered organic gardening!
If any part of my answer is unclear, please request an Answer
Clarification before rating. This will allow me to assist you further,
if possible.
Regards,
crabcakes
Search Terms
grape aphids organic
grapevine organic pest control
organic aphid control
controlling aphids organically
organic vineyard pesticides
biocontrol grape aphids |
