Costco Sold More Plants With Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Pests

Costco is warning California customers who recently bought desert willow plants that the glassy winged sharpshooter may be living on them. The invasive insect can “cause major damage to the environment and the economy,” particularly the state’s $73-billion wine industry.

The desert willow is a small tree or shrup with trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom in pink, lavender and white.

The glassy-winged sharpshooter feeds on plant fluids and can spread a bacterium that can cause Pierce's disease, which is fatal to gravevines and has previously threatened California vineyards.