Subject: Help me identify this bug
Location: SoCal
July 7, 2017 10:13 pm
We get about 100 of these on our patio at night. They fly around like they are on drugs.
Signature: Thank you very much, adrianne
Dear Adrianne,
This Leafhopper is a Glassywinged Sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis, and according to BugGuide the range is “se. US (TX-FL-NC-AR) & Mexico(1), introduced in sw. US (CA-AZ)” making it an invasive species in Southern California. BugGuide also remarks: “A major vector of Pierce’s disease on grape. Usually not a serious pest within its native range, southeastern US. This species was accidentally introduced into so. California in the early 1990s, probably with ornamental or agricultural stock. There, it has become a serious threat to viticulture.(2) The biggest problem is that it can spread the disease-causing bacterium Xylella fastidiosa.”