LAKE COUNTY – Lake County Agricultural Commissioner Steve Hajik reported that local wineries and home winemakers moving grapes to Lake County from areas infested with the light brown apple moth (LBAM) must follow special precautions.

In cases where winegrapes come to the county from LBAM quarantine areas, the grower must pass a trapping and inspection protocol by the local county agricultural commissioner’s office.

A trapping program 30 days before harvest and a walk through inspection by the commissioner’s office needs to occur prior to certification.

The LBAM quarantined county, where the grapes are grown, will have a compliance agreement with the grower and the hauler before any grapes can leave the vineyard. Certification must accompany each shipment.

In order to keep this pest out of Lake County, it is imperative that any winemaker/winery notify the Lake County Agricultural Commissioner’s office 48 hours prior to the grapes arrival in the county from LBAM infested counties. The office will place traps around the property and be present when the loads arrive.

As part of the conditions of accepting grapes from infested areas, the importer must put the load ahead of any other waiting loads and have the load crushed within two hours of arrival. The load and truck must be safeguarded, either covered or inside while waiting for crushing.

All “material other than grapes” needs to be addressed in the prescribed manner. This requires that the material be returned to the original vineyard in a covered truck, double bagged and taken to the dump, or shredded and composted on site, in an approved open area.

If you are going to accept grapes from a known quarantined area, please contact the agricultural commissioner's office 48 hours prior to delivery.

If you do not know if the area you are importing from is in a quarantined county, please call the agricultural commissioner at 707-263-0217.