Grapevines and citrus plants purchased at Costco stores in Vacaville and Fairfield, as well as in Napa and Sonoma counties, have been found to be harboring infestations of glassy-winged sharpshooters, which pose a grave threat to grapevines.
Agricultural officials are on high alert for appearances of glassy-winged sharpshooters, which are large leafhoppers that feed on plant sap, and are related at the suborder level to cicadas. The invasive insects native to northern Mexico were first introduced to Southern California by accident in the 1990s, and they are known to carry and spread a bacterium that causes Pierce’s disease, which can wipe out grapevines.
As the Chronicle reports, officials are telling anyone who may have purchased a citrus plant or grapevine from a Costco location in the North Bay sinceto keep the plants isolated and cover them in garbage bags — and do not attempt to move, plant, or dispose of them.
"Glassy-winged sharpshooters pose a serious and immediate threat to vineyards, agriculture, and backyard plants throughout Solano County and surrounding regions,” says Solano County Agricultural Commissioner Ed King in a countywide alert. "These insects spread the bacterium that causes Pierce’s disease, which can kill grapevines and severely impact vineyards. Community cooperation is critical right now."
Any residents who purchased one of these plants after April 21 is asked to contact county officials so they can come inspect them and potentially destroy them.
Napa County residents are being asked to contact the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office at 707-253-4357 or [email protected]. Sonoma County residents should contact the Department of Agriculture/Weights & Measures at 707-565-2371 or [email protected]. And Solano County residents can contact the Agriculture Department at 707-784-1310 or [email protected].
The offending nursery where the plants came from appears to be Burchell Nursery in Fresno County. One glassy-winged sharpshooter egg mass was found a plant at a Napa County Costco, and 157 grapevines at that store remain unaccounted for and may have been sold, as the Chronicle reports via local officials.
Shipments also went to Yolo and Marin counties, and officials say that "all life stages" of the insects were found on different plant specimens.
Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner Andrew Smith was quick to tell the Chronicle, "Costco is not at fault here, and they’ve been an exceptional partner throughout this process. They acted quickly, cooperated fully, and are working to notify members/customers as fast as possible."
Glassy-winged sharpshooters are reportedly dangerous in part because of how quickly and far they can travel from plant to plant, spreading disease as they go.
Top image: Photo by Reyes Garcia III, USDA Agricultural Research Service, United States via Wikimedia
