Muscadine Foliage Pests

Japanese Beetles

• Accidentally introduced into the United States through a New Jersey port, Japanese beetles are voracious insects that if unchecked will defoliate many plants, including muscadines. At present they're only a problem from New England down to the mid-South and west to the Mississippi Basin. These shiny, metallic beetles, most active in midsummer, leave ragged holes in the foliage. Light numbers can be picked off by hand, but large infestations should be treated with an insecticide to save the crop. Consult your local garden center or county extension service for insecticides approved in your state for use on food crops.

Aphids

• Aphids are tiny, sap-sucking insects that feed on tender tissue like new shoots and emerging flowers and leaves. They're most active in spring's cool, damp weather. Light infestations can be controlled with a strong stream of water from your garden hose. Natural predators such as lady bugs usually keep aphids in check, but if necessary, use an insecticide such as malathion to control large populations. Again, check with your garden center for insecticide recommendations, since approved products vary from state to state.

Leafhoppers

• Wedge-shaped and colorful, leafhoppers occasionally appear on muscadines but usually in small enough numbers that they don't harm the foliage. However, they do carry disease, especially Pierce's Disease, a bacterial disease most prevalent in the deep South.

Other Insects You May See

• The grape root borer, a wasp-like moth, lays its eggs on the bottom of muscadine leaves but don't actually damage the foliage. After hatching, the larvae drop to the ground and burrow into the roots, damaging to the whole plant. These insects can be trapped or you can spray with an insecticide. Green and brown stink bugs rarely bother the foliage but instead feed on flower buds, flowers and berries, ruining the year's crop. Grape berry moths feed on the fruit, as do wasps, yellow jackets and bumblebees. Use caution when harvesting fruit.