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Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

grape cane girdler

Beginner

Scientific Name
            Ampeloglypter ater

Identification
Eggs      

  • Elliptical
  • 0.7 mm long
  • Off-white

Larvae

  • White with a brown head
  • Legless
  • 8 mm in length

Pupae

  • Light- coloured but becomes darker just prior to emergence
  • Some of the adult features such as legs and snout are already clearly visible in the pupal stage

Adults

  • Shiny black
  • 3 mm long
  • Characteristic curved snout

Damage

  • Wilted or broken shoots with a series of punctures encircling the shoot

Often Confused With
Grape cane gallmaker: injury runs longitudinally along the shoot rather than encircling it

Period of Activity
Late spring 2-3 weeks before grape bloom, for about a month for egg placement and hatch. Larval activity follows until about August.

Scouting Notes
The girdling causes the ends of shoots to bend and break off above the upper girdle and drop to the ground. Vines infested by the grape cane girdler have a ragged appearance.

Threshold
None; this is a pest of low impact with rare exceptions.

Advanced

Scientific Name
            Ampeloglypter ater

Identification
Eggs      

  • Elliptical
  • 0.7 mm long
  • Off-white

Larvae

  • White with a brown head
  • Legless
  • 8 mm in length

Pupae

  • Light- coloured but becomes darker just prior to emergence
  • Some of the adult features such as legs and snout are already clearly visible in the pupal stage

Adults

  • Shiny black
  • 3 mm long
  • Characteristic curved snout

Damage

  • Wilted or broken shoots with a series of punctures encircling the shoot

Often Confused With
Grape cane gallmaker: injury runs longitudinally along the shoot rather than encircling it

Biology
Grape cane girdler overwinters as adults in leaf litter on the ground. Adults leave their overwintering sites in late spring. When grape shoots are 30 to 50 cm long and before bloom begins, the female girdles the shoot by using its mouthparts to create a series of holes. Eggs are laid in these holes. After the eggs are laid, the female continues to make another series of punctures a few cm below the first girdle until the cane is encircled, but eggs are placed only in the holes of the first girdle (closest to the shoot tip). Egg-laying continues for about one month.  Eggs hatch about 10 days after being laid.  The larva burrows in the center of the shoot on either side of the egg cavity.  Larval development takes over a month. The shoot in which the larva feeds either breaks off at the girdled point or dies back to the first node below the egg cavity and drops to the ground.  The pupa forms within the dead shoot on the vine or on the ground. Development to the adult stage is completed after about two weeks.  Virginia creeper has also been identified as a host of grape cane girdler.

Period of Activity
Late spring 2-3 weeks before grape bloom, for about a month for egg placement and hatch. Larval activity follows until about August.

Scouting Notes
The girdling causes the ends of shoots to bend and break off above the upper girdle and drop to the ground. Vines infested by the grape cane girdler have a ragged appearance.

Threshold
None; this is a pest of low impact with rare exceptions.

Management Notes
Commercial vineyards are not usually damaged severely.  No management required.