Apple and grape resources for pest management in 2025

Madeline Wimmer- UMN Fruit Production Extension Educator

Pest management strategies can vary widely depending on farm scale, production goals, and growing practices—whether organic, conventional, or somewhere in between. Throughout the UMN Fruit Update series, we’ll reference pest management approaches that reflect this diversity. To help you stay informed and supported throughout the season, we’ve compiled a list of key resources that serve as practical tools and guides for managing pests in Minnesota’s apple and grape systems.

Resources for apple pest management

1. Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide

A multi-state collaborative guide that is updated once every few years and can be used to find information about multiple fruit crops, including apples. This document is available as a pdf on the Purdue University website (link in heading). Apple growers should refer to the following pages for apple pest management information:

• Page 13: Beginning of apple content and apple insect pest activity calendar.
• Page 14: Apple disease management and spray calendar.
• Page 26: Apple bloom considerations and mating disruption for codling moth.
• Page 42: Horticultural management (color development, stop drop sprays, chemical thinning, and more).
• Page 49: Horticultural management continued: Cork spot and bitter pit.
• Page 50: Disease and insect management notes.
• Page 248: Vole control.
• Page 253: Herbicide recommendations for apples and pears.

2. Integrated Pest Management Manual (IPM) for Minnesota Orchards

This manual has not been updated recently, but still has a lot of information that can be useful for Minnesota apple growers. Because it has not been updated, readers should be up to date in regards to product registration and worker protection standards as it relates to the guide’s content.

3. A grower’s guide to organic apples

This guide was produced by Cornell University and has a lot of information that goes beyond pest management for organic apple production. Similar to the Minnesota IPM manual listed above, growers who refer to this manual should be up to date in regards to product registration and worker protection standards as it relates to the guide’s content (check out the USDA’s web pages on regulations for National Organic Practices here).

4. Compendium of apple and pear diseases, Second edition

Provides information about apple disease-causing organisms and insect pests. This is not a pocket-sized guide, but is thorough and helpful for pest learning identification, biology, and life cycles. This resource can be purchased from various outlets.

UMN Extension and Extension Partners YouTube Videos

• Beginning apple grower: Designing a spray program for disease control
• Beginner apple grower: Pest management with trapping and monitoring
• Codling moth mating disruption
• Organic weed management for perennial fruit crops
• Organic insect management for perennial fruit crops

Resources for grape pest management

1. Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide

A multi-state collaborative guide that is updated once every few years and can be used to find information about multiple fruit crops, including grapes. This document is available as a pdf on the Purdue University website. Grape growers should refer to the following pages for management information:

• Page 154: Beginning of grape content and grape insect pest activity calendar.
• Page 155: Grape disease management and spray calendar.
• Page 179: Special comments on grape schedule disease and insect pest management.
• Page 182: Relative disease and chemical sensitivity in grapes.
• Page 184: Effectiveness of fungicides on grape diseases and insecticides for control of grape insects.
• Page 261: Herbicide recommendations for grapevines.

2. Grape IPM Guide for Minnesota Producers

This guide acts like a compendium of grapevine disease-causing organisms and insect pests, emphasizing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tactics like choosing to grow disease-resistant varieties, removing wild grapevines that can harbor disease, removing and destroying infected grapevine parts, and implementing properly timed pesticide applications, whether conventional or based in USDA Organic guidelines.

3. A pocket guide for grape IPM and scouting in North Eastern and Central United States

Available for free through the University of Michigan Extension website, this guide helps growers identify issues in the vineyard related to insect pest damage, diseases, and other issues like hail damage and nutrient deficiencies.

4. Growing Grapes in Minnesota

Created by the Minnesota Grape Growers Association, and most recently revised in 2016, this guide goes beyond pest management and is specific to growing cold climate wine grapes.

• Page 97 Weed control and vineyard floor management
• Page 109 Vineyard pest management

UMN Extension and Extension Partners YouTube Videos

• Grape disease management: Best practices for disease and fungicide resistance management
• Revisit and improve your vineyard spray program
• Developing a vineyard weed management program
• Organic weed management for perennial fruit crops
• Organic insect management for perennial fruit crops