Field Experiments to Develop Control of the Grape Moth, Eupoecilia Ambiguella, by Communication Disruption

The 2 tortricoid moths attacking grapes in Europe, Eupoecilia (Clysia) ambiguella (Hb.) and Lobesia (Polychrosis) botrana Schiff. were among the first agricultural pests studied in sex pheromone research. Investigations by Gotz (1941a,b; for a complete bibliography see Jacobson, 1972) already concerned laboratory bioassay of the pheromone, use of clock traps to determine diurnal rhythms, and mass-trapping for control. The work was done explicitly with today’s objective: to do away with toxic chemicals. It is interesting to speculate whether the 30-year interruption in this line of work had more to do with wartime or simply with the advent of more effective insecticides.