The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing California with $4 million in emergency funding to intensify the fight against an invasive insect capable of spreading a deadly grapevine disease.
USDA Gives California $4 Million to Fight Invasive Pest as state agricultural officials continue a major containment effort targeting the glassy-winged sharpshooter. The insect can transmit Pierce’s disease, an incurable bacterial disease capable of killing grapevines, making its spread a serious concern for California’s wine and grape industries.
Emergency Money Will Expand California’s Response
According to the funding announcement, the additional money will allow the California Department of Food and Agriculture to expand inspections and investigations, remove infested plant material, and increase trapping and surveys in areas considered at high risk. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has now allocated more than $15 million during fiscal year 2026 for glassy-winged sharpshooter activities in California.
The new $4 million comes as California is already conducting eradication operations in multiple parts of the state. CDFA currently lists active glassy-winged sharpshooter eradication projects in El Dorado, Sacramento, Santa Clara, Shasta, Solano and Stanislaus counties. Some involve hundreds of treated properties, thousands of biological-control wasps and extensive trapping programs.
Why the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Is So Dangerous
The glassy-winged sharpshooter is an invasive insect roughly half an inch long that feeds on a wide range of plants. According to CDFA’s glassy-winged sharpshooter guidance, the larger agricultural threat comes from its ability to transmit the bacterium responsible for Pierce’s disease, which can kill grapevines.
California officials are particularly concerned about preventing the insect from becoming established beyond areas of Southern California and the southern San Joaquin Valley where it is already present. Once established, controlling the pest can become difficult and expensive. CDFA says keeping it out of new areas is substantially easier and less costly than trying to eliminate established populations.
Costco Plant Discoveries Triggered a Major Response
The current emergency took on added urgency earlier this year after glassy-winged sharpshooters were discovered on grapevines distributed to selected Costco stores in Northern California. In a June letter to USDA requesting emergency assistance, members of California’s congressional delegation said affected nursery stock had been distributed to Costco locations across numerous counties and that purchased plants were believed to have reached homes in at least 38 California counties.
CDFA subsequently reported that the concern expanded beyond grapevines. The agency also identified glassy-winged sharpshooters associated with desert willows sold at selected Costco locations. Officials urged anyone who purchased affected plants during the specified periods to contact their local county agricultural commissioner rather than move the plants.
California Is Trying to Stop the Pest From Spreading North
The scale of the response shows why agricultural officials are treating the situation seriously. According to CDFA’s current eradication-project data, officials in El Dorado Hills reported 288 adult sharpshooters, 731 nymphs and 166 egg masses detected from January through June 2026. Officials treated 492 properties and released more than 5,000 biological-control wasps during that period.
Other eradication projects are underway in places including Morgan Hill, Redding, Vacaville and Folsom. CDFA says eradication can take years, with an infestation generally not considered eliminated until approximately two years have passed without another detection following the last treatment. The program says it has eradicated 18 glassy-winged sharpshooter infestations since 2001.
California’s Wine Industry Has a Lot at Stake
USDA Gives California $4 Million to Fight Invasive Pest at a time when the state’s winegrape industry is already committing its own money to the response. In August, an industry board administered through CDFA approved another $820,000 for emergency operations. In its announcement of the emergency funding, CDFA said California’s wine industry generates about $73 billion in annual economic activity and supports more than 422,000 jobs statewide.
The same CDFA announcement cited a 2025 economic study estimating that unchecked spread of glassy-winged sharpshooters and resulting Pierce’s disease outbreaks could cost winegrape growers an additional $56 million annually in lost production and vine replacement.
What Californians Should Look For
Adult glassy-winged sharpshooters are approximately half an inch long, dark brown to black, with yellow or cream-colored markings on the head and back. Their transparent wings have prominent dark veins that give them their distinctive glassy appearance. CDFA says the insect can feed on hundreds of plant species, including grapes, citrus and numerous landscape plants.
CDFA advises Californians who believe they have found one not to move the insect or affected plant. Instead, take a photograph if possible and report the suspected pest to agricultural authorities. Moving potentially infested plants can inadvertently help the insect reach areas where it has not yet become established. For more information about identifying and managing pests, visit the PestMarket Pest Control Guides.