GWSS: WHY do we keep tempting fate?

[Napa Valley Register Online]

In all of last year there were several (5) instances of glassy-winged sharp shooter egg masses found in Napa County, and a few in Sonoma County as well. ALL of them were on ornamental plants shipped in from Southern California.

THERE HAVE BEEN 4 INSTANCES SO FAR THIS YEAR JUST IN NAPA ALONE!

This is a serious pest that can wipe out many different types of agriculture, and the only way to stop the spread on ornamental plants is to stop shipping them around & BUY LOCAL plants for your garden.
And “NO” that doesn’t mean just buying at your local nursery instead of the Home Depot or other national big chain retailer…it’s not the size or ownership of the store that is the problem or even that they’re a small Ma & Pa Kettle type operation. ANY RETAILER can order plants from Southern California’s infected counties, regardless of size…


If you’re buying plants – buy ones that were raised locally. It’s the only way to be sure.
I keep posting on this topic, and hopefully someone has been or will be alerted by it all.
[springtime-gwss]
[http://www.bugspot.org]
And these lines from the linked article have me worried:

"All the egg-carrying plants that reached Napa County were labeled, per California agricultural regulations, with a blue tag, signifying that the plants originated from sharpshooter-infested counties. Three of the four plant recipients followed the tag's instructions and contacted Napa County's Agricultural Commissioner's Office, which sent out plant inspectors immediately. The latest recipient of a high-risk plant failed to call, but the southern California nursery that sent the plant followed protocol by notifying Napa's agricultural authority, said [Greg Clark, Napa County assistant agricultural commissioner].
YIKES!

The consequences of ignoring a blue tag can range from a warning letter to being fined, to losing one's nursery license, Clark said."
That’s not nearly stringent enough penalties in my mind…

"Beyond the individual penalties, the social repercussions of letting the vineyard menace into Napa County would be grave, Clark said."

Remember that scene in the original Frankenstein movie with the peasants storming the castle with pitchforks & burning torches?
I'm thinking that's what would happen...as a start. It would get worse from there...

The CDFA web site contains an updated listing of host plants for the GWSS – as well as current info on the spread of the pest, and the research being done to stop it. Read it, and arm yourselves with knowledge!

This is the CDFA plant quarantine manual with the steps listed to be taken.