(KRON) — Costco shoppers in the South Bay who purchased recalled grapevine plants found to potentially carry an invasive bug may soon be getting a knock at the door. Starting this week, Santa Clara County workers will be going door-to-door to leave collection supplies and instructions for preparing the recalled plants for pickup.
The affected grapevine plants were sold at Costco locations around Northern California between April 21 and May 19. The pests, called glassy-winged sharpshooters, spread Pierce’s disease, which is a bacterial infection that can often be fatal to grapevines and damages citrus, almond and residential backyard plants.
The Santa Clara County Division of Agriculture said 1,300 grapevines were sold to Costco customers within the county, and 1,180 of those plants remain unaccounted for.
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“Local fruit and wine production could collapse if Pierce’s disease becomes established in Santa Clara County,” officials wrote Monday. “County businesses could be prohibited from shipping plants to other parts of the state if the GWSS spread is uncontrolled within the county.”
The Division of Agriculture advises not to relocate, compost or throw away the plant since improper disposal can allow the bug and disease to survive and spread. Collection is being made at no cost to residents. Customers should contact their local Costco for refunds…