The first sterile light-brown apple moths ever released in the United States have landed in a vineyard in Carneros.

Federal officials released 3,000 moths — 1,500 males and 1,500 females — late in the afternoon Wednesday in a pinot noir vineyard belonging to Domaine Chandon. The Yountville-based winery volunteered for the program.

From now until early December, an estimated 30,000 irradiated sterile light-brown apple moths will be released in other quarantined areas of Napa and Sonoma counties, on properties belonging to about 20 growers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released the moths Wednesday in an area where the pest was originally discovered in March 2007 — near the Napa-Sonoma county line. The agency’s goal is to evaluate the sterile moths’ life span and how far it flies in comparison to its wild counterpart.

“This release is just for data gathering,” said Lawrence Hawkins, USDA public affairs specialist.

Forty traps were put out in the vineyard to determine how far the sterile bugs travel.

USDA entomologist Greg Simmons hopes the sterile moths have a life expectancy of two to three weeks, the same as the wild apple moth.

“This looks to be a promising program based on other sterile pest programs from the past,” Simmons said.

Agricultural officials said they will monitor the sterile moths as long as there is foliage on the vines, probably into early December. Then the USDA will wait until spring to resume its releases and data collecting.

Simmons said the sterile moths came from a new USDA facility in Moss Landing, on Monterey Bay. The irradiated moths arrived at the vineyard in a plastic ice chest, which contained a clear petri-like container with the sterile moths.

Josh Rubin, viticulturist for Domaine Chandon, said the winery volunteered for the program because winery leaders believe the irradiated moths can help control the wild pest.

“This area (Carneros) has been the hot seat of the quarantine,” Rubin added.