Thousands of traps around Kern County show there are fewer sharpshooters around now than a year ago, Kern County Agricultural Commissioner Ted Davis said. He attributes the lower numbers to heightened efforts to monitor citrus shipments, and to outreach programs. Currently, there is no cure for Pierce's disease. There were 32,748 acres of table grapes and 33,378 acres of wine grapes in Kern County in 1999, the most recent year for which figures are available. Meanwhile, spraying has been completed at the General Beale Pilot Project, located on a 9,000-acre area concentrated around Arvin and Edison.
Current efforts center around monitoring the size of the sharpshooter population.
This time of year, sharpshooters are breeding and laying eggs. They also lay eggs in August. He said the county's efforts to keep the pest from moving north of 7th Standard Road are mirrored by statewide efforts. These stingerless wasps lay eggs in sharpshooter egg masses and the offspring feed on the egg masses. These wasps are being raised in a facility on Oswell Street.