Beauty with Benefits
Naturescaping Vineyards for
Biological Control of Pests
and Pollinator Conservation
David G James, Washington State University
The opportunity now exists to link
viticultural pest management with
nature, wildlife and pollinator
conservation
Washington viticulture is low-input
and sustainable
Conservation biological control & ‘soft’ pesticides
are key features of IPM
Before vineyards, the hills
and valleys of eastern
Washington were alive
with native flora
and pollinators
Pollinator populations have
suffered as habitats and native
flora have been displaced…
Mylitta Crescent
Sagebrush Checkerspot
Boisduval’s Blues
The Monarch
Habitat Restoration for Vineyards
using native plants
1.REFUGIA: to bring biocontrol
agents (ie beneficials) closer to the
grapevines
2. GROUND COVERS: to provide in-crop re-fueling
zone for beneficials/pollinators
Native plants are hardy and climate adapted.
They do not need special attention and survive on
minimal nutrient and water resources
They are ‘home’ and
provide food to all the
natural enemies of grape
pests that we rely on for
biological control
Many serve as host
and/or nectar plants
for butterflies and
other pollinators
But which local native plants are ‘best’
in terms of ‘pulling’ and retaining
beneficial insects ?
Information was not available
Beneficial Insects for Vineyards
*Lacewings
*Ladybeetles
*Predatory Bugs
*Beneficial Flies
*Predatory Thrips
*Parasitic Wasps
*Native Bees
*~ 120 species of flowering plants
*9-24 traps for each species/season
*Total of > 3000 traps/season
600
500
All Beneficials
400
300
Mean Number/trap
Mean Number per Trap
600
500
400
“The bottom ten”
300
200
100
0
200
100
0
“THE TOP TEN”
Sagebrush
Gray Rabbitbrush
Oregon Sunshine
Western Clematis
Northern Buckwheat
Showy Milkweed
Slender Hawksbeard
Tall Buckwheat
Yarrow
Snow Buckwheat
Carey’s balsamroot
Blazing star
Prairie clover
Grays desert parsley
Triteleia
Dandelion
Gold stars
Large-fruited desert parsley
Hairy balsamroot
Giant-head clover
1. Sagebrush
2. Spreading Dogbane
3. Slender Hawksbeard
4. Sunflower
5. Oregon Sunshine
6. Yarrow
7. Gray Rabbitbrush
8. Goldenrod
9. Pearly Everlasting
10. Ocean Spray
11. Green Rabbitbrush
12. Tall Buckwheat
13. Narrow-leaved Milkweed
14. Threadleaf fleabane
15. Northern Buckwheat
16. Wyeths Lupine
17. Western Clematis
18. Showy Milkweed
19. Mock Orange
20. Shaggy Daisy
21. Russian Olive
22. Coyote Willow
23. Whitestem Frasera
24. Parsnip Buckwheat
25. Western Hyssop
26. Coyote Mint
27. Blue Elderberry
28. Alfalfa
29. Strict Buckwheat
30. Blanket Flower
31. Columbia Cutleaf
32. Snow Buckwheat
33. Dusty Maidens
34. Western Wallflower
35. Silverleaf Phacelia
36. Chokecherry
Mean Number/trap
7
6
LADYBEETLES
5
4
3
2
1
0
NORTHERN BUCKWHEAT
STRICT BUCKWHEAT
NETTLE
TEASEL
GOLDEN CURRANT
Mean Number/trap
35
30
25
PREDATORY
BUGS
20
15
10
5
0
TALL BUCKWHEAT
SAGEBRUSH
WESTERN CLEMATIS
WESTERN GOLDENROD
TEASEL
NETTLE
GRAY RABBITBRUSH
Mean Number/trap
350
300
BENEFICIAL FLIES
250
200
150
100
50
0
OREGON SUNSHINE
SLENDER HAWKSBEARD
WESTERN CLEMATIS
YARROW
THREADLEAF FLEABANE
DUSTY MAIDENS
SHOWY MILKWEED
WOODS ROSE
NORTHERN BUCKWHEAT
LUPINE
#1 Big Sagebrush
Attracts the greatest number of beneficials
(in terms of numbers of individuals)
Fall flowering
However, only 5 of the 10 groups
of beneficials represented in
large numbers (parasitic wasps
and predatory bugs)
Refugia plant
Plants with benefits for biological
control agents and butterflies
Rabbitbrush
Attracts large numbers of beneficial insects
important autumn nectar source for butterflies
and larval host for sagebrush checkerspot
Buckwheats
Attract large numbers
of beneficial insects
10 species: Spring-summer-flowering
Buckwheats are caterpillar hosts for a
dozen or more species of blues, coppers
and hairstreaks in Washington
Blue Copper
Lycaena heteronea
Milkweeds
(2 species)
Attract large numbers
of beneficial insects
Many butterflies
use it as nectar
source
Monarch host
Milkweed in a WSU
vineyard at Prosser
hosting caterpillars
of the Monarch
(June 2014)
Lupines
Attractive to beneficials
Larval host for at least 3 species of butterflies
Attract many beneficial insects
Willows
Viceroy
Tiger
Swallowtail
Larval host to four
butterflies
Lorquins
Admiral
Mourning
Cloak
Twelve of the top 20 ranked plants for beneficial insect
attraction are also host plants for ~ 16 butterfly species
Eighteen of the 20 are important nectar providers for butterflies
A great opportunity exists to combine vineyard
habitat restoration for pest control with
butterfly conservation!
Ruddy Copper Lycaena rubidus
Comparing Native Habitat-Enhanced
and Conventional Vineyards
Pest and beneficial insect and mite fauna and butterflies
evaluated and monitored 2011-2013
8 cooperating commercial vineyards
*4 Habitat-Enhanced
*4 Conventional
Quincy
Columbia Gorge
Red Mountain
Walla Walla
Habitat-Enhanced:
30-50 flowering native plant species in
or close to vineyard (< 50m)
Conventional:
<10 flowering native plant species
near (< 50m) vineyard
ALL BENEFICIAL INSECTS (2013)
160
Mean number per trap
140
2013
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Conventional Vineyards
Habitat-enhanced Vineyards
Adjacent Habitat
Mean Number/leaf
3.0
2.5
2013
2.0
Red Mountain
All Pests
Pests
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
Conventional
Habitat-enhanced
Conventional (Ambassador)
Habitat-enhanced (Upchurch)
Habitat-enhanced (Ciel du Cheval)
2011
Habitat-Enhanced Vineyard:
9 butterfly species seen
2011
Conventional Vineyard;
1 butterfly species seen
Number of butterfly species seen in habitat-enhanced
and conventional vineyards 2011-2013
Number of sp
ecies
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Conventional Vineyards
Habitat-enhanced Vineyards
Mean number of butterfly species seen in habitat-enhanced and
conventional vineyards in Columbia Gorge and Walla Walla
Mean number of species
2012-2013
14
12
10
Columbia Gorge
8
10
8
6
6
4
4
2
0
2
0
Habitat-enhanced
Conventional
Walla Walla
Mean number of individuals seen/season
Mean number of individual butterflies
seen in Gorge and Walla vineyards
during 0.5 hr visits in 2012-2013
35
30
25
40
Columbia Gorge
30
20
20
15
10
10
5
0
0
Habitat-enhanced
Conventional
Walla
Walla
Numbers of butterflies
greater in vineyards
that have been restoring
habitat for at least 5-8 yrs
There are > 50 butterfly species that could be encouraged
to occupy Washington vineyards with
cultivation of host plants
We’ve already seen half of these
in the habitat-enhanced vineyards
we monitor
Stinging Nettle:
Good for parasitic wasps,
flies and predatory bugs
Mean number per trap
16
c
14
2011
12
c
10
6
c
c
8
b
b
4
2
a
a
a
a
a
0
Mean number per trap
70
b
60
2012
b
50
b
40
30
c
20
10
c
a
a
a
a
a
a
0
Mean number per trap
35
b
2013
30
25
b
b
20
15
c
10
5
a
a
a
a
c
a
a
0
LW
LB
PB
PT
CF
IB
PW
AN
CM
NB
HB
Also hosts 5 butterflies
In Washington…….
Pest Management
and
Nature Conservation
will increasingly be entwined as pesticide
inputs decrease and the need for species
conservation increases
Incarcerated Citizen Science at
Walla Walla Penitentiary:
Mass rearing endemic butterfly species in eastern
Washington for introduction to habitat-enhanced
vineyards
Butterflies could become a symbol of the Washington wine industry’s
Commitment to sustainability and local biodiversity
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