Managing vineyard pests from the ground up
By Alyssa L. Ochs
From rodents to birds and larger wildlife, vineyards must address a wide range of pest challenges that can impact fruit quality and yield.
As climate patterns shift worldwide, vineyards are refining their pest-control strategies and adopting a more integrated, initiative-taking approach. To better understand this trend and effective solutions, The Grapevine connected with two pest management companies that specialize in vineyard protection.
Early-Year Vineyard Pest Strategies
Pest threats in vineyards vary significantly by region and season. However, the most common pests in vineyards include rodents, such as gophers, mice, and voles. Birds target ripening fruit, causing damage to grape skins, and reducing yields. Meanwhile, larger animals, such as raccoons, deer and wild pigs, can devastate entire vineyard blocks in just a brief time.
George Horetsky, senior sales representative at Trident Enterprises, told The Grapevine that many vineyard pest problems begin quietly at the start of the year, in February and early March, even before there is green tissue on the vines. While your crews are working elsewhere early in the year, wildlife feeding and rodent damage often begin, resulting in crop losses and labor disruptions later.
Trident is a well-established wildlife exclusion expert and has been providing high-quality fencing for over 40 years.
“Walk your perimeter and take note of any weak points, including corners, gates, dips and drainage crossings,” Horetsky advised. “Be sure to look for rodent or rabbit activity near trunk level, especially along edges and under cover. Now you can confirm your early-season scouting plan for bud swell and budbreak. If netting or deer exclusion is part of the plan, lock in specs and delivery windows before the rush.”
Common Pest Control Questions
We also asked Horetsky about the most frequent questions his company receives from vineyards about pest control. Vineyard’s first practical question is typically where to even start with pest control, and Trident always encourages customers to begin with timing and pressure mapping.
“Here you can identify which pests are causing the costliest damage during the most sensitive window, and where pressure begins,” Horetsky said. “Once when and where are clear, the plan becomes more targeted, including where physical exclusion makes the most sense.”
Trident customers also ask if they truly need an eight-foot deer exclusion. Horetsky said that if deer pressure is consistent, they recommend eight feet as a reliable baseline, especially on edge blocks and high-valve areas.
“Deer find weak points first, so height matters, but corners, gates, low spots, and terrain transitions matter just as much,” he said.
To reduce insect pressure without constantly reacting, Horetsky and his colleagues advise pairing consistent monitoring with prevention and targeted interventions.
“As buds begin to swell, it is important to scout early for bud-feeding insects and have a response plan ready, because that damage cannot be undone later in the season,” Horetsky said. “Talk with your pest management partner for your best solutions. Insect netting is not a universal solution, but it can be a strong fit in specific applications where recurring pressure or high-value blocks justify physical exclusion as a complement to broader IPM practices.”
Horetsky mentioned how to about practical bird control approach. “Bird pressure tends to spike right when quality matters most,” he said. “Many vineyards choose netting in targeted blocks, especially high-value rows, early varieties, and perimeter areas where birds stage and return daily. The best choice is the one crews can deploy quickly under real harvest pressure and store, so it remains usable year after year.”
Regarding birds, we also asked the bird control experts at Avian Enterprises for their insights into common vineyard questions. Avian Enterprises is a trusted industry leader in providing safe, effective, and environmentally responsible bird control solutions.
Dan Kramer, the company’s technical director, shared that the most common question they receive is whether Avian Control is harmful and if it alters the taste of wine.
“Avian Control is a completely non-toxic product that is formulated with only food grade ingredients,” Kramer said. “The ingredients in Avian Control are widely used in food and flavoring designed for human consumption.”
“While Avian Control is highly irritating to birds, it has no effect on humans,” he also explained. “Avian Control is highly biodegradable and breaks down completely in the field or during the fermentation process eliminating any possible unwanted wine flavors.”
The Evolution of Vineyard Pest Control
Although specific pest threats have remained constant in many vineyard regions, pest control strategies have evolved from reactive chemical treatments to integrated pest management solutions. In the past, vineyard pest control relied heavily on chemical applications to quickly eliminate threats. But today, pest control companies and vineyards are more interested in combining biological controls, mechanical deterrents, and habitat management, with targeted chemical use only applied when necessary.
George Horetsky from Trident shared that over time, his company’s role has shifted from simply helping source materials to partnering with dealers and installers to help them build systems that last.
“Today we spend a lot of time ensuring our customers receive the right materials for their project and getting them shipped out as soon as possible,” Horetsky said. “We focus heavily on the places where failures start, including corners, terminations, gates, and grade changes, and we help troubleshoot field questions, so projects do not stall.
“In short, we have become more outcome-focused,” Horetsky concluded. “The goal is fewer breaches, less rework and longer service life.”
Kramer from Avian Enterprises also told The Grapevine how his company’s pest control approach has evolved over the years.
“Avian Control was first marketed as a bird repellent designed for commercial pest control applications,” Kramer explained.
“At the behest of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, we began to offer Avian Control to the agricultural industry, where it was met with great enthusiasm. Sales of Avian Control continue to grow in the agricultural industry due to its effectiveness and non-toxic nature.”
How to Save Money and Improve Efficiency with Pest Control
Effective pest control involves more than just protecting vulnerable grapes because it is also a significant operational expense. However, vineyard pest management companies emphasize that proactive planning can help vineyards substantially reduce their long-term costs.
Horetsky from Trident told us that the biggest savings rarely come from finding the cheapest option. Instead, the real savings come from reducing repeat labor and avoidable loss. He explained that many vineyards improve efficiency by prioritizing protection in the highest-return areas first, such as edge blocks near cover, early ripening varieties, and premium rows where quality drives value.
“Another major advantage is eliminating weak points instead of just patching symptoms,” Horetsky said. “Underbuilt corners and ends, gate areas treated as an afterthought, gaps at low spots and inconsistent tensioning create ongoing repair cycles. Fixing those details reduces rework.”
He also said that pest control choices should align with a vineyard’s labor realities.
“If your tactic requires daily attention during ripening, it will eventually fail,” he said. “Vineyards save money when they choose approaches that reduce emergency trips and last-minute installs. A simple comparison that includes material cost, install time, expected repair hours, and avoided loss often clarifies what is truly cost-effective.”
Kramer at Avian Enterprises told The Grapevine that his company’s product, Avian Control, eliminates the need for netting vineyards, saving vast amounts of labor and time that can be better used for other crop management activities.
“The increased yield that can be achieved through the use of Avian Control along with the reduced costs combine to increase profitability and ensure the quality of the harvest,” Kramer said.
The Future of Pest Control in Vineyards
Looking ahead, innovation, sustainability and education are at the heart of modern vineyard pest control strategies. Pest management providers like Trident Enterprises and Avian Enterprises regularly collaborate with vineyards to develop effective, sustainable solutions to protect grapes and the broader environment.
Horetsky from Trident shared that today’s vineyards want reliability, not just products. Therefore, Trident’s focus is to make vineyard planning easier with upfront support for layouts, netting selection, corner and gate planning and terrain considerations.
“We are also committed to reducing project delays with dependable supply,” Horetsky said. “Install quality often depends on timing, and rushed installs create weak points. We continue to invest in inventory depth so contractors can stick to schedules and avoid substitutions that weaken the plan. To support tighter project timelines, Trident Fence has expanded distribution capacity to include our new warehouse in Reno, Nevada, providing our West Coast customers with faster delivery windows.” As vineyard operations become more complex and environmental conditions continue to shift, grape growers who invest in initiative-taking, integrated strategies will be best positioned to protect crops, reduce costs, and
