(Wines&Vines) - The Agricultural Commissioner’s office in Napa County has launched a sentinel program to gain an early warning if five potential grape pests show up in the county.

Ag commissioner Greg Clark announced that his department is targeting serious pests of wine grapes not known to be established in California. “Placing a base level of traps throughout Napa County provides the opportunity to detect infestations of new pests early, before they become widespread throughout the county.”

The importance of the sentinel trapping is clear. “Prior to 2009, the European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana) was not known to be established in North America. With its discovery in Napa County in 2009, and 10 additional California counties, a multi-million-dollar federal quarantine program was established.”

He added, “Since 2010, Napa County growers have spent approximately $45 million in treatment and quarantine costs in the EGVM eradication effort. Early detection of serious wine grape pests could potentially save millions of dollars in government and grower resources.”

The pests selected for the program were identified by reviewing information from the USDA Grape Commodity-based Survey Guidelines, the Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) for grapes, USDA’s Tortricids of Agricultural Importance and by consulting with CDFA, USDA and international authorities on grape pests.