Insects in the Vineyard

A few days ago when we were pruning our vines, we came across this little creature in the pith of one of the vines. When we were doing our Vineyard Cleaning Detail last fall, we did spot these little green caterpillars but could not identify them. But now that spring is here, and it seems like these little green guys have survived our incredibly cold winter, it is time to pour through books and the Internet to get a positive ID and take appropriate measures.

The best close-up view of the caterpillar shows that it has a light tan border. Some good reference books include:
1. Grape Pest Management Third Edition by Larry J. Bettiga.
2. A Pocket Guide for Grape IPM Scouting in the North Central and Eastern United States.
At the moment, I haven't figured out what this could be but, it is time to get ready to go to the vineyard to begin the process of removing all of the dead vines. Our plan is to remove the pencil rods first, which should make removing the dead vines a little easier. We hope to use a hydraulic auger to do the job of vine removal. Stay tuned.