This month it seemed like a good idea to spend some time going over the different types of animal damage that a grape grower can experience.  The reason for this is not to create a level of frustration or discouragement – no scare tactics here – this is just the perfect format for discussion and education.

Let’s start with rodents.  Ground squirrel, gophers and rabbits do two things for a living.  They eat and they move dirt.  In a vineyard you can look for gopher mounds and ground squirrel burrow systems.  Usually, gophers spend most time between rows or in areas that you provide with drip irrigation or semi annual cultivation.  Ground squirrels will look for containment basin dams or ditch banks.  Both will dig numerous holes, move a lot of dirt and make extensive underground tunnels and runways.  The biggest threat to your vineyard is the displacement of soil, loss of proper irrigation and damage to grapevines. 

With regard to the vines, gophers like the young ones, but if food is scarce enough, any ol’ root system will do.  Rabbits confine themselves to girdling vines, eating large amounts of new growth and chewing on drip irrigation lines and nozzles.  Ground squirrels can damage dams and ditch banks to the point that they are no longer functioning water barriers.  In addition, squirrels do like grapes.

Saving the best for last here, let’s talk about Coyotes, Raccoons and Feral Pigs for a moment.  Coyotes will also chew drip lines and emitters.  They do eat grapes but not enough to worry about.  The main threat coyote’s pose in the vineyard is eating the kids pet cat or small dog.  Raccoons will eat a lot more grapes and because of their remarkable dexterity, just make a plain old nuisance out of themselves.  However, this problem can usually be offset by providing an alternate food source should the novelty of this type of wildlife be desired at your vineyard.  Feral Pigs can basically destroy anything and everything they want to, including ripping fully mature vines completely out of the ground.  They can uproot anything you plant, eat lots of grapes, and tear up the vineyard floor in the process.  You do not want to have pigs frolicking in your vineyard.

Now the last category, birds.  A grape grower can expect one type of damage from birds, and that is loss of grapes.  Birds keep it simple for us by limiting themselves to one type of damage only.  They prefer to take as many grapes as they possibly can, but only when they’re ripe and ready to be harvested.  You don’t have to worry about vine damage, new growth or new plantings.  Birds will only concentrate on destroying your finished product as completely as they are physically able to.  The damage is fairly easy to see, stripped clusters of grapes with most of the berries missing, or damaged and raisined clusters.  Birds also encourage insect damage by pecking at berries and making an easy and irresistible trail for ants and bees to follow. 

Now, how to approach all these problems.  Stay tuned!