Agriculture chief: traps, tree removal have pushed glassy‑winged sharpshooter toward eradication in Vacaville

Agricultural Commissioner Ed King told the Solano County Board of Supervisors that the county’s early‑detection network and cooperative eradication work have brought the glassy‑winged sharpshooter infestation in Browns Valley, Vacaville, close to eradication, though staff recently found an egg mass that requires continued monitoring.

King said the county maintains about 2,000 traps across programs for harmful pests including oriental/Mediterranean fruit fly, Japanese beetle and European grapevine moth. "We've been working to eradicate the glassy winged sharpshooter from Browns Valley in Vacaville for 3 and a half plus years now, and I'm pleased to report that we have found no adult sharpshooters since last July," King said. He added that a recently discovered egg mass on a crepe myrtle tree shows the work is not finished and that the program relies on resident cooperation.

King described cooperative efforts with grape growers in Suisun Valley to remove the state‑listed noxious weed tree of heaven, a preferred host for spotted lanternfly, and said crews treated more than 1,200 tree‑of‑heaven specimens over the past two years to create a protective buffer for vineyards. He noted that spotted lanternfly is a major pest for grapes and that preventing establishment in Solano County remains a priority.

King also said the county’s early‑detection program enables issuance of pest‑free export certificates that allow growers to move products out of the county, the state, and to other countries, underscoring the economic importance of pest control. Deputy Commissioner Joseph Giraldez and senior biologist Sylvia Mendoza Villalova were identified as lead staff for summer monitoring and treatment operations.