The mealybug is a nasty little parasite responsible for viral spread, reduced vine growth, rotting grapes and even the death of the vines, you can read more about these pests here. 

Last year we introduced a predator to the mealybug into some of the vineyards, the predatory beetle, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri. These beetles like the mealybugs as a tasty snack between their main meal of mealybugs. You can read more about the process here on the Bio Bee website, from where we bought the beetles.


Cryptolaemus Beetles awaiting their release into the vineyards



The beetles in the vineyards.

This year we are trialling a new pheromone patch in the vineyards. The little tag is coated in female mealybug pheromones, the smell permeates the whole vineyard making it much more difficult for the males to find the females mealybug to mate. Hopefully this will also reduce the population of this pernicious parasite.


Pheremone Patch