Bugspot -- Napa County

Thank you for visiting the Napa County portion of www.bugspot.org. For more specific information or to ask questions about the insect or Napa County's programs, please call the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner at (707) 253-4357.

Recent GWSS in Napa County
Napa Declares GWSS Month -- May, 2006

Take a look at what Sharpie has been up to in the Napa Valley!

Napa County's Action Plan includes five specific parts:

Detection
Survey
Exclusion
Rapid Response
Education and Outreach

For more information, you can also click down to:

Why is the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter a threat?
Want to help?

Detection
The Agricultural Commissioner's team has placed a large number of sticky yellow cardboard traps in both residential areas and on the borders of agricultural land. These traps are checked regularly for Glassy-Winged Sharpshooters and other pests. No Sharpshooters have been found up to this point. If you are interested in having traps placed on your property, please call the above number or 1-866-BUG-SPOT.

Survey
Members of the inspection team routinely do visual inspections of residential, and agricultural land, and areas near water such as creeks or rivers, known as riparian areas. Inspectors focus primarily on newly landscaped areas. An inspector may come to your door and ask to inspect your property. We encourage you to allow the inspector to check your backyard for Glassy-Winged Sharpshooters. Please ask the inspector for identification before inviting him or her onto your property.

If you are not home, the current workplan allows the inspector to take a look around your front yard for the pest. The inspector will then leave a flyer and a letter on your doorstep to let you know he or she was there.

You can also help by doing your own survey! Take a walk around your yard or neighborhood park, and keep your eyes open for the insect or its egg masses. The Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter typically lays its eggs on the underside of leaves, but adult insects can be anywhere on a plant or tree. If you find an insect that you think might be a Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter, a suspicious egg mass or evidence of white stains that may be Sharpshooter rain, try to collect the evidence in a plastic bag, film canister, jar or food container so we can make the proper identification. Then call us at 1-866-BUG-SPOT. We'll try to determine if the insect is a Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter. If we think it is, you can drop the specimen off at the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner's office at 1710 Soscol Ave., Suite 3 in Napa, or if you like, we'll come by and pick it up.

What happens if you or an inspector find a Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter on your property?

Please see Rapid Response for more information.

Exclusion
Our #1 priority is prevention, or keeping the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter out of our County. In order to do so, Napa County has developed a strict inspection program, one that is even stricter than that required by the State. Our team inspects all incoming plant shipments with the potential for hosting the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter for eggs and insects. Please support this program by shopping at local garden stores, nurseries and landscapers that sell only inspected plants. Look for a Certificate of Compliance with the Sharpshooter Spotter seal, signed by Napa County Agricultural Commissioner Dave Whitmer, at your local retailer that ensures plants have been inspected.

Click here for more information on the inspection program.

Rapid Response
Early detection is our 2nd priority. In the event that Glassy-Winged Sharpshooters are found here in Napa County, the Agricultural Commissioner's office will act quickly to remove the infestation. Depending on the size and location of the infestation, a number of different actions can be taken, from mechanical (removing the plant material or even vacuuming the leaves) to chemical (localized application of approved pesticide treatments, with all safety precautions followed.) Please click here for a detailed expanation about the different procedures we'll follow.

Education and Outreach
If the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter were to establish itself here in Napa County, we would all feel the consequences. The action plan includes an education and outreach program to help all stakeholders - that is, everyone who lives, visits, or works here -understand why this is such an important issue. In fact, you're reading part of that program right now! We also have brochures, posters, a video, a slide show, educational materials, and a PowerPoint presentation in Spanish and English, available for use by clubs, schools, and organizations. Call 1-866-BUG-SPOT for more information.

For more information about the ecological and economic impacts of the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter, read on.

Why is the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter a Threat to Napa County Ecology and Economy?

How the insect hurts the ecology around us

The Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter is leafhopper insect that has a stylus - like a little drill - that bores through wood. With this unique apparatus, the insect can transmit lethal diseases into the wood portion of plants and trees. With this stylus, it also sucks life-giving water out of all the plants it feeds on. Each adult Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter sucks out 200 to 300 times its body weight in water every day. This is the equivalent of an adult human drinking 4,300 gallons of water per day! This loss of water is even hurting our oak trees, which are currently trying to fight off other diseases.

The Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter is related to the Blue-Green Sharpshooter, which just feeds on tips of plants that can be pruned away. Unlike its smaller relative, the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter can damage many trees, crops and plants because of its ability to transmit diseases into woody parts of plants, trees and crops that cannot be pruned away. Please see the list of plants that serve as a host to the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter.

How the insect could hurt our economy

Not only can the Glassy-winged Sharpshooter wipe out table, wine and raisin grapes, it also spreads a lethal disease that affects almonds, alfalfa and many other crops. The damage to these crops would not just affect the field workers and farmers who grow them.

Approximately 6 million people visit the Napa Valley every year, primarily to enjoy its wineries, restaurants, and natural beauty. If the wine grape industry were to disappear as a result of the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter, there is no other sustainable agricultural commodity that could take its place. The only viable alternative would be large-scale development. Agriculture and tourist-supported industries would give way to high-tech business parks and housing developments, as in infested counties in Southern California and in the Silicon Valley. Everyone living in Napa County would feel the effect.

Want to help?

It is easy to get involved. If you have time to put up a poster, hand out some pamphlets, talk to a local business, school, youth group, neighbor or community organization, you can help keep our Counties beautiful! Please call us at 1-866-BUG-SPOT to volunteer. If you belong to a club or organization, we're happy to give a video, PowerPoint, or slide presentation at one of your meetings - please contact us. If you are a teacher or camp director, please see the educational materials section of this website for curriculum you can use in the classroom.

Click here for a Napa County calendar of Sharpshooter-related events and meetings.

	1-866-BUG-SPOT

	Napa County
	Thank you for visiting the Napa County portion of www.bugspot.org. For more specific information or to ask questions about the insect or Napa County's programs, please call the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner at (707) 253-4357. Recent GWSS in Napa County Napa Declares GWSS Month -- May, 2006 Take a look at what Sharpie has been up to in the Napa Valley! Napa County's Action Plan includes five specific parts: Detection Survey Exclusion Rapid Response Education and Outreach For more information, you can also click down to: Why is the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter a threat? Want to help? Detection The Agricultural Commissioner's team has placed a large number of sticky yellow cardboard traps in both residential areas and on the borders of agricultural land. These traps are checked regularly for Glassy-Winged Sharpshooters and other pests. No Sharpshooters have been found up to this point. If you are interested in having traps placed on your property, please call the above number or 1-866-BUG-SPOT. Survey Members of the inspection team routinely do visual inspections of residential, and agricultural land, and areas near water such as creeks or rivers, known as riparian areas. Inspectors focus primarily on newly landscaped areas. An inspector may come to your door and ask to inspect your property. We encourage you to allow the inspector to check your backyard for Glassy-Winged Sharpshooters. Please ask the inspector for identification before inviting him or her onto your property. If you are not home, the current workplan allows the inspector to take a look around your front yard for the pest. The inspector will then leave a flyer and a letter on your doorstep to let you know he or she was there. You can also help by doing your own survey! Take a walk around your yard or neighborhood park, and keep your eyes open for the insect or its egg masses. The Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter typically lays its eggs on the underside of leaves, but adult insects can be anywhere on a plant or tree. If you find an insect that you think might be a Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter, a suspicious egg mass or evidence of white stains that may be Sharpshooter rain, try to collect the evidence in a plastic bag, film canister, jar or food container so we can make the proper identification. Then call us at 1-866-BUG-SPOT. We'll try to determine if the insect is a Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter. If we think it is, you can drop the specimen off at the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner's office at 1710 Soscol Ave., Suite 3 in Napa, or if you like, we'll come by and pick it up. What happens if you or an inspector find a Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter on your property? Please see Rapid Response for more information. Exclusion Our #1 priority is prevention, or keeping the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter out of our County. In order to do so, Napa County has developed a strict inspection program, one that is even stricter than that required by the State. Our team inspects all incoming plant shipments with the potential for hosting the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter for eggs and insects. Please support this program by shopping at local garden stores, nurseries and landscapers that sell only inspected plants. Look for a Certificate of Compliance with the Sharpshooter Spotter seal, signed by Napa County Agricultural Commissioner Dave Whitmer, at your local retailer that ensures plants have been inspected. Click here for more information on the inspection program. Rapid Response Early detection is our 2nd priority. In the event that Glassy-Winged Sharpshooters are found here in Napa County, the Agricultural Commissioner's office will act quickly to remove the infestation. Depending on the size and location of the infestation, a number of different actions can be taken, from mechanical (removing the plant material or even vacuuming the leaves) to chemical (localized application of approved pesticide treatments, with all safety precautions followed.) Please click here for a detailed expanation about the different procedures we'll follow. Education and Outreach If the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter were to establish itself here in Napa County, we would all feel the consequences. The action plan includes an education and outreach program to help all stakeholders - that is, everyone who lives, visits, or works here -understand why this is such an important issue. In fact, you're reading part of that program right now! We also have brochures, posters, a video, a slide show, educational materials, and a PowerPoint presentation in Spanish and English, available for use by clubs, schools, and organizations. Call 1-866-BUG-SPOT for more information. For more information about the ecological and economic impacts of the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter, read on. Why is the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter a Threat to Napa County Ecology and Economy? How the insect hurts the ecology around us The Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter is leafhopper insect that has a stylus - like a little drill - that bores through wood. With this unique apparatus, the insect can transmit lethal diseases into the wood portion of plants and trees. With this stylus, it also sucks life-giving water out of all the plants it feeds on. Each adult Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter sucks out 200 to 300 times its body weight in water every day. This is the equivalent of an adult human drinking 4,300 gallons of water per day! This loss of water is even hurting our oak trees, which are currently trying to fight off other diseases. The Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter is related to the Blue-Green Sharpshooter, which just feeds on tips of plants that can be pruned away. Unlike its smaller relative, the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter can damage many trees, crops and plants because of its ability to transmit diseases into woody parts of plants, trees and crops that cannot be pruned away. Please see the list of plants that serve as a host to the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter. How the insect could hurt our economy Not only can the Glassy-winged Sharpshooter wipe out table, wine and raisin grapes, it also spreads a lethal disease that affects almonds, alfalfa and many other crops. The damage to these crops would not just affect the field workers and farmers who grow them. Approximately 6 million people visit the Napa Valley every year, primarily to enjoy its wineries, restaurants, and natural beauty. If the wine grape industry were to disappear as a result of the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter, there is no other sustainable agricultural commodity that could take its place. The only viable alternative would be large-scale development. Agriculture and tourist-supported industries would give way to high-tech business parks and housing developments, as in infested counties in Southern California and in the Silicon Valley. Everyone living in Napa County would feel the effect. Want to help? It is easy to get involved. If you have time to put up a poster, hand out some pamphlets, talk to a local business, school, youth group, neighbor or community organization, you can help keep our Counties beautiful! Please call us at 1-866-BUG-SPOT to volunteer. If you belong to a club or organization, we're happy to give a video, PowerPoint, or slide presentation at one of your meetings - please contact us. If you are a teacher or camp director, please see the educational materials section of this website for curriculum you can use in the classroom. Click here for a Napa County calendar of Sharpshooter-related events and meetings.
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