Grape Tumid Gallmaker – Janetiella brevicauda

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Grape Tumid Gall maker (Janetiella brevicauda)

Latin Name: Janetiella brevicauda

Common Name: Grape Tumid Gall maker

Appearance: 

  • Grape tumid galls, often known as grape tomato galls because the round, reddish, succulent galls resembled tomatoes, are formed by the larvae of the grape tumid gall maker, a tiny fly (GTG).
  • Grape tumid gall, which means swelled or distended in English, is currently the preferred word to prevent confusion with the tomato plant.
  • Galls range in size from 3.2 to 6.4 mm (1/8 to 1/4 in.) in diameter and are most commonly seen on leaf petioles and flower clusters. Galling on flower clusters, on the other hand, might result in badly formed fruit clusters or even cluster loss.

Territory: 

The grape tumid gallmaker (Janetiella brevicauda) is a pest that is widespread to the northeastern US and southeastern Canada.

Damage insect caused by Grape Tumid Gall maker:

Only wild and farmed grapes are infected (Vitis spp.). Both inside vineyards and among affected vines, infestations are usually patchy. Tumid galls were once attributed to as many as five different species of flies, but it is now assumed that Janetiefla brevicauda, a single species, is responsible for nearly all of the damage found in northern vineyards.

Beneficial garden insects:

Some bugs are beneficial to the garden. These wonderful guys are known as “beneficial insects,” and they may be extremely useful to your garden by devouring pest insects that would otherwise consume your plants. Here’s a rundown of some of the most popular helpful insects and how to get them into your garden.

Some beneficial garden insects are given:

  • Ladybirds (Coleoptera)
  • Lacewings (Neuroptera)
  • Hoverflies (Diptera)Parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera)
  • Solitary bees (Hymenoptera)
  • Ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae)
  • Butterflies and moths

Life History and Habits:

Maggot-like larvae develop from the eggs placed in the bud or shoot tip of a grape and enter the vine tissue. As the larvae eat, a gall builds around them, which they finally abandon and fall to the ground. Each year, one to three generations of midges (adults) are produced. The number of generations produced in a particular year is determined by weather conditions and the vineyard’s location. Within 2.5 to 5 cm (1.0 to 2.0 in.) of the soil surface, they build a cocoon for pupation. The larvae will both pupate and generate emerging midges within two to three weeks, or they will overwinter in the soil and continue to develop until the following spring, varies with the time of year.