Glassy-winged sharpshooter found in Southern California

Sonoma County agriculture inspectors are closely examining shipments from Southern California plant nurseries after recent findings of eggs, exoskeletons and adult glassy-winged sharpshooters, a pest that poses a major threat to grapevines and other plants.

Inspectors rejected a shipment of mostly olive trees from Ventura County sent to a Sonoma County nursery in February after finding 19 different egg masses as well as several exoskeletons, Agricultural Commissioner Tony Linegar said.

The insect pests are transmitters of Pierce’s disease, which has the lethal effect of stopping water flow within grapevines and other fruits, vegetables and common landscape plants.

“Our inspectors are really on their toes now, recognizing virtually anything coming from Southern California could be infected,” Linegar said.

Last month, the agricultural commissioner of Marin County issued an alert after inspectors found an adult glassy-winged sharpshooter on plants from Ventura County.

Linegar said finding an adult insect is unusual and alarming. Most shipments from infested areas, which includes swaths of Southern California, have been sprayed with an approved treatment protocol that renders most eggs unviable and kills adult bugs.

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