The first winegrape grower on California's Central Coast to successfully eradicate the dreaded vine mealybug shares his experience. BY NOW, nearly a decade after it first was discovered in California's Coachella Valley, most Golden State grape growersare familiar with the devastating vine mealybug (VMB). The pest is considered dangerous not only because it causes so much damage, producing large amounts of honey-dew that promotes sooty mold, but because once it gets a foothold, look out. "Vineyard managers should be able to isolate it if they intensify their chemical approach," says University of California (UC) entomologist Walt Bentley. "But they've got to keep it under 300 to 400 acres. If it gets above that threshold, you can't eradicate it."
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