How does the sharpshooter damage plants?
Direct feeding by the glassy-winged sharpshooter rarely damages plants. In certain instances, high densities of GWSS can cause economic damage to citrus fruit by depositing such large quantities of excreta (“sharpshooter rain”) on the fruit such that its commercial value is reduced. GWSS are viewed as a very serious pest not because of their direct damage, but because they transmit fatal Xylella bacterial diseases (e.g. Pierce’s disease of grapes, oleander leaf scorch, almond leaf scorch, etc). Currently it is not feasible to treat or cure these plant diseases. Consequently, once a susceptible plant acquires the disease, it will die.
