🦠 Grape mite

The grape mite is a very small pest of the vine. Its scientific name is Colomerus vitis, and in German it is called Rebenpockenmilbe. It is smaller than a millimetre and cannot be seen without magnification.

You can spot it by its marks. Blisters appear on the upper side of the leaves, and underneath they are covered with white or rusty-coloured felt. This leaf problem is called erineum. The mites live inside this felt and feed on the leaf sap.

Usually it does not do serious harm to the crop, but with many mites the leaf works less well. The grape mite is part of the group of grape pests.

Predatory mites help with it. They eat the grape mite and keep its numbers under control. That is why growers try to protect useful mites and avoid extra chemicals in the vineyard. It is easy to notice by eye: just turn the leaf over and look at the underside, where the felt forms.