“Glassy-winged sharpshooters pose a serious and immediate threat to vineyards, agriculture and backyard plants throughout Solano County and surrounding regions,” said Ed King, Solano County Agricultural Commissioner. Photo courtesy of Solano County

SOLANO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - The Solano County Agricultural Commissioner is urgently asking residents to take immediate action after invasive glassy-winged sharpshooters were detected on plant shipments delivered to Costco stores.

Residents who purchased grapevines or citrus plants from any Costco store since April 21 are strongly urged to follow the instructions below immediately to help prevent the spread of this destructive agricultural pest, including the following.

For grapevines: Place two garbage bags over plants and secure them tightly.

For citrus plants: Contact the Agriculture Department immediately to schedule an inspection.

Special instructions/contact: Do not return, transport, relocate, share or give away plants, and do not place plants in trash bins or compost containers. Contact the Solano County Agriculture Department at 707-784-1310 or email [email protected] to schedule pickup of grapevines and/or inspection of citrus plants and receive guidance on preventing further spread of the glassy-winged sharpshooter

“Glassy-winged sharpshooters pose a serious and immediate threat to vineyards, agriculture and backyard plants throughout Solano County and surrounding regions,” said Ed King, Solano County Agricultural Commissioner. “These insects spread the bacterium that causes Pierce’s disease, which can kill grapevines and severely impact vineyards. Community cooperation is critical right now. If you recently purchased grapevines or citrus plants from Costco, we are asking you to contact the Agriculture Department immediately so we can safely contain and eliminate this threat.”

In addition to threatening California agriculture, glassy-winged sharpshooters can damage a wide range of plants in residential landscapes. Since 2021, the Agriculture Department has worked successfully with residents in Vacaville’s Browns Valley neighborhood to eradicate localized infestations. However, recent detections in plant shipments delivered to Vacaville and Fairfield now threaten to reverse that progress and increase the risk of wider regional spread if immediate action is not taken.