A Vinehealth Australia project will survey the populations of scale insects across Australian vineyards, the group announced in an industry notice on Friday. The project aims to identify species of scale present and watch for new or invasive species in order to advance targeted methods of pest management.

“The project is calling for photographs to be taken and sent to researchers to determine participation in this project,” said Vinehealth Australia. “This is not a request for sending in samples. The project team will be in touch with sample collection details if it warrants.”

Vinehealth Australia said the study would be part of “a coordinated effort to enhance understanding and management of scale insect populations” across Australia.

“There are many different populations of broadly grouped grapevine scale that live in Australian vineyards and this study aims to identify the populations and geographic differences within scale insect species,” said the notice.

“Scale insects are a persistent issue across various crops and plants, and timely identification is critical for effective pest management strategies. To better address this, we aim to gather representative samples from different regions and crops to ensure accurate identification and classification.”

Vinehealth Australia encouraged all vineyard operators to contribute to the project by examining their vines for evidence of the insects.

“This is typically done by peeling the bark back to reveal browned off adults and over-wintering egg masses. Smaller juvenile scale might also be seen.

“We kindly ask all industry partners, growers, researchers, and pest management professionals to collect scale insect photographs and send them to David Logan at the University of Adelaide/SARDI via email: [email protected], along with your contact details (name, best phone number, email) and growing region, for project participation. David will assess the images and respond with confirmation of acceptance in the project, or if numerous similar images have been collected from your region, decline your participation and no further work is needed.”

For further information on the study, and to view the industry notice in full, head to: vinehealth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/VHA-Industry-Notice-Scale-Project.pdf

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