Grape rootworm

Grape rootworm
Rufus Isaacs, MSU Entomology

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This beetle is 6 mm long and light brown with yellow hairs. It feeds on grape foliage as an adult, making a chainlike damage pattern. Immature stages feed on grape roots. Infestations that go untreated for many years can lead to vineyard decline. Grape rootworm adults begin appearing in vineyards in mid- to late May and then lay eggs on the vine trunks.

Larvae later crawl into the soil and attach themselves to grape roots, remaining there for one to two years while completing their development. Larvae eat small roots and bore into larger ones.


Adult grape rootworm. 6 mm.	Grape rootworm larvae (left) are found underground.

Additional information

Recommendations from the Michigan Fruit Management Guide

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Funding for this web site provided by Project GREEEN, American Farmland Trust, EPA Region 5's Strategic Agricultural Initiative program, The National Foundation for IPM Education, the Center for Agricultural Partnerships and the MSU Integrated Pest Management Program
in collaboration with MSU Extension and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.
Updated 11/30/07 Contact: J.N. Landis.