General Hydroponics is based in the heart of the Sonoma County wine county. It’s surrounded by endless rows of vineyards whose wine is an extremely valuable crop in California. In Napa County, our neighbor to the east, a quarantine has been put into place to stop the spread of the European grapevine moth.

The European grapevine moth is an invasive species that quite seriously threatens the economic stability of our region. Shockingly, it is suspected to have arrived in Northern California via the illegal smuggling of grape vines. Our state has strict laws for importing plant stock, and state officials say this outbreak is most likely related to smuggled grape bud clones.

If the moth cannot be contained and its damage limited, widespread spraying of pesticides is the next step. Our land is beautiful, biologically diverse, and very fragile. Most local growers are proud of their efforts to avoid pesticides and consider spraying a step not to be taken lightly. But in the end even a tiny moth can become a threat to powerful economic forces. Or should the responsibility rest on the smugglers who put these types of drastic measures into play?

Read more about the dramatic situation in this article from the Sonoma County Press Democrat- “Moth Forces Wine Country’s Secret into the Open“