Distribution and Damage

The European Grapevine Moth, also known as Lobesia botrana, is a serious pest of grapes, causing significant damage to the flowers and berries of grapevines.

Native to southern Italy, EGVM is a pest of economic importance in vineyards throughout Europe, northern and western Africa, the Middle East, southern Russia, Japan, and Chile.

Studies of this moth internationally show that larvae feed primarily on the flowers and fruit of grapes and occasionally on the flowers of olive and rosemary. In the absence of these preferred hosts, larvae will feed on the fruit and/or flowers of other plants located nearby, but populations are not known to rise to damaging levels on these plants. If infested grapevines are completely removed, it will move over to a different plant for a short period, but it cannot survive without grapes.