Grape Phylloxera Update

At the end of November an aphid-like insect — Grape Phylloxera — that feeds aggressively on wine grape roots was confirmed in Mesa County. Since that time, the Colorado Department of Agriculture has been doing surveys of vineyards. As CDA's Nursery and Pest Quarantine Manager Laura Pottorff explains that while the surveying has slowed due to winter weather, there have been additional confirmations.

Pottorff: "Out of the 15 vineyards they've looked at, there have been four sites where positive detections have been determined."

She continues with what grape growers can do to stop the spread of this insidious insect.

Pottorff: "They need to protect themselves and they need to make sure that the nurseries that they purchase these plants from — because they are all of state and most states have phylloxera. They need to make sure that those plants that they are purchasing have been dipped in hot water or perhaps treated with an insecticide just to prevent the pest from accidentally coming in. Then they also need to be very, very cautious and make sure that the equipment that they may be sharing between vineyards — make sure that equipment is cleaned and sanitized before it moves from one property to the next."

Although it is not great news that this insect has been found in Colorado vineyards, Pottorf says that the state's wine industry as whole will not be impacted significantly by this discovery.