Vineyard update: Japanese beetles long gone, dwarfed by heat, drought

This is a response to a recent flurry of hits based on searches for "Japanese beetles."

In a post about a month ago, I reported that I had covered my vines to protect the leaves from the the shiny green bugs. A photo I posted showed a fair amount of damage to some leaves, but it was localized on the tops of some vines. I didn't have enough cover to protect all the plants, and I pinched off the bugs on the exposed plants. Then, in a week or so, the beetles went away.

I heard several reports of spotty beetle infestations in the area. The rose garden at the Close Memorial Park apparently was attacked, and a vineyard north of town was sacked as well. However, other people I talked to said they hadn't seen any Japanese beetles this year.

With the terrible heat that began in late June and the months-long drought, Japanese beetles seem to be an insignificant and bygone problem. A few grape clusters have shriveled, and some grapes have dropped off:

In response, for the first time since my vines were sticks in the ground, I have watered them — on two occasions this month. After the first time, the shriveled grapes actually plumped up again.

Overall, though, I am finding lots of clusters of early ripening St. Vincent grapes that look really good: