LOOK FOR

Look for in leaves
• Egg masses on the upper surface of fully expanded leaves
• Egg masses during the week before, and young caterpillars immediately after, a predicted egg hatch
• Egg masses and small caterpillars every 7-14 days from budburst, if there is no alert system for LBAM activity in your district
• Tiny, pale yellow caterpillars inside shoot tips, in leafrolls, at flowering or in young bunches, and on the underside of mature leaves
  

   CONDITIONS

• Favours cool climates, lush growth and cool summers
• Females lay most of their eggs two or three times a season, during and just after peak flights.
• Freshly laid egg masses are green, become yellow and turn yellow-brown with a small black dot in the centre when ready to hatch.
• Eggs hatch within 7-21 days, depending on termperature - the warmer it is the quicker they develop.
• Caterpillars hide in webbing in leaf rolls or bunches. When disturbed, they wriggle backwards quickly and may hang by a thread.
• Tight-bunched varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are most susceptible to LBAM.
  

   NOTES

**Parasitised LBAM eggs turn black
**Egg hatch may occur over a number of weeks
**Empty egg masses may indicate a recent hatch, but they can stay on leaves for some time
**Monitor to find newly hatched caterpillars because large caterpillars are difficult to control
**Monitor after spraying to look for surviving caterpillars inside shoot tips and on the underside of the first four or five leaves (on five shoots per panel)