Banded Grape Bug

Abstract

The banded grape bug is a sporadic, early-season pest of grapes that feeds on clusters between bud break and bloom. It damages grapes during the period of rapid shoot expansion and flower cluster development. Injury by the banded grape bug was first reported in the Lake Erie region in the early 1900s. Recently, infestations have been observed in both Lake Erie and central New York vineyards. It is also present throughout the eastern states as far south as North Carolina. Cluster feeding by the banded grape bug directly reduces the productivity of Concord grapes and presumably other grape cultivars.