Full Breakdown
California Counties Launch Door-to-Door Recall of Costco Grape Vines Over Invasive Insect Threat
7/16/2026, 8:23:58 AM
Core Event: Costco Grape Vine Recall
Between April 21 and May 19, 2026, more than 1,300 grapevine plants sold at Costco locations in Santa Clara County were found to potentially harbor the glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS). County agricultural officials began a door-to-door collection campaign in Santa Clara, San Jose, Gilroy and surrounding South Bay neighborhoods to retrieve the plants, distribute zip ties and double-bagging supplies, and prevent the spread of Pierce’s disease, a lethal pathogen for grapevines and other crops.
Background & Context
GWSS, native to the southeastern United States and northeast Mexico, is classified as an invasive pest in California. The insect can transmit Pierce’s disease, which has previously devastated over 300 acres of grapevines in Riverside County in August 1999 and threatens the state’s $73 billion wine industry. The pest also attacks citrus, crape myrtle and other landscape plants, raising concerns for broader agricultural and horticultural sectors.
Retrieval Effort Details
Santa Clara County’s Division of Agriculture is distributing collection kits, leaving door hangers with instructions, and scheduling pickups. Workers reported that about 1,180 of the sold plants remain unaccounted for. After the retrieval phase, officials plan a “monitoring phase” that will place GWSS traps throughout the county to detect any insects that may have escaped. The effort is expected to take several months to complete.
Official Statements & Responses
Deputy Agricultural Commissioner John Sorfleet outlined the upcoming monitoring phase, emphasizing trap deployment to catch any stray insects. Agricultural commissioner Priscilla Yeaney urged customers to cooperate, noting that participation protects local vineyards, farms and the broader agricultural economy. County biologists highlighted the pest’s ability to infest a wide range of plants, stressing the urgency of removal and proper disposal.
Verbatim Quotes
- “There’s a much higher density of people here who own the plants. So, we’ve got a lot more people in this area that we have to get to, to send out this information so we can get these plants back,” — Vivian Volpe, Associate Biologist Standards Specialist
- “It’s not just grapevines alone that they infest. They can also go to, say, a citrus, to local trees like the crape myrtle. There are myriads of different other types of plants and trees that they can infest and harbor and stay there. And then, those plants can become carriers of the disease. So, if left unchecked, they can spread and keep spreading,” — Khoi Nguyen, Agricultural Biologist
- “The next phase from that would be a ‘monitoring phase’ where we would be placing glassy-winged sharpshooter traps at regular intervals throughout the county to detect any insects that would have come off of the grapevines and gotten out in the community,” — John Sorfleet, SCC Deputy Agricultural Commissioner
- “If you purchased one of these grapevine plants, we ask that you participate in this collection effort,” — Priscilla Yeaney, Agricultural Commissioner
- “I was worried about all the plants. It can go around the block,” — Angelica Sanchez, Gilroy resident
