Who's been chomping my Grape?

[lookbettertomorow]

These buds are 2' off the ground, can't be slugs, snails? would they really bypass the lower buds to go for the higher ones? One was eaten 2 nights ago and whatever did it came again last night. The stem is hardly wide enough for a snail to hang on, any help please?

[muddled]

Earwig maybe?

[Kier]

are they inside or outside vines

[lookbettertomorow]

Outside plant. Earwigs? mmm, never thought of them,absolutely no experience of Earwigs I'm pleased to admit so I'll look out for them.
Last night when all's dark and quiet, I donned my head torch and crept outside to stalk whatever it is, squatted down to look at the practically invisible stem of my vine only to hear the bang of neighbours bin lid shut, turned to see neighbour giving me one of those looks,again. He scurried inside before I had chance to explain.
Didn't see anything on the vine, too cold perhaps. No further damage, only have 3 more buds :-(

[Nicos]

Wasn't me mate.

[muddled]

this is a link to all about earwigs.
I think they could be the culprit purely because in my garden, they eat my rosebuds. I find a hole in the bud and when it opens, the petals are shredded.
At least, I think it was earwigs. I did the upturned pot thing overnight (see link) and caught both earwigs and woodlice so know it was one of them.
As for your grapevine...would a DIY greaseband help do you think?

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=494

[lookbettertomorow]

Grease! Brill idea thanks

[Jungle Jane]

Do you think something could've been inside the buds & hatched out? This bit of text is about a grape blossom bud gnat.
"Developing rapidly, the maggots get full grown and are ready to leave before the blossoms open. They emerge from the buds either by eating holes in the sides, or through slits caused by the breaking of the bud-cap in an attempt to open into the blossom. Dropping to the ground, the maggots soon bury themselves"
p.140-1. Annual Report of the Agricultural Experiment Station, 1906
If you think it's this you could lay a sheet underneath the healthy buds to try to collect any that may fall out to see if it is this? Hopefully you won't have anymore problems with it though.

[lookbettertomorow]

Thanks Jane, my buds will hopefully be growth buds rather than blossom. I think vines blossom on the new present years growth. My vine is still a juvenile, I don't expect any blossom until next year,if I'm lucky. Interesting info though. I have just smeared grease around the stem, so I will be taking plaster casts of the foot prints tomorrow, so watch out Nico's :-)

[Kier]

looks like bird damage to me, finches probably, they seem to go at some buds but not all, if it was maggots the bud would be brown inside

[lookbettertomorow]

Culprit caught. Grease around the trunk and the stake didn't put it off, neither did slug pellets. Whatever gave it the determination to climb that high? Worst thing is it escaped, I knocked it off and now can't find it

[Nicos]

Sweet little thing isn't it???

Don't worry- it'll be baaaack!

[Jungle Jane]

Glad you've solved the problem! Thinking about snails,they like it quite high on my runner bean teepees too & camouflage themselves against the bamboo canes.