Wasps and wine: Paper wasps contribute to sour rot disease, a scourge of wine industry

Come harvest season, wine makers have grown accustomed to looking for the telltale signs of a common but devastating threat: black mold and spores combined with a distinct acidic smell. These symptoms are associated with grape sour rot disease, an incurable condition involving the decomposition of damaged berries that ultimately degrades wine quality, resulting in millions of dollars in losses annually.