It can consume 10 times its body weight in liquids per hour. Sharpshooters can acquire the bacterium from infected plants and transmit it to healthy plants while feeding. If the adult stage of the insect has the bacterium that causes Pierce's disease, the bacterium remains in its mouthparts throughout its life, which can last over 6 months. In some host plants, such as grape, the bacteria can spread systemically and cause disease. Once in the plant, the bacteria multiply and block the xylem, or water-conducting vessels of the plants.
Plants eventually develop symptoms of dry or scorched leaves, particularly in mid-summer.
Once a plant is contaminated with Pierce's disease, the plant can act as a reservoir of the bacterium. Any sharpshooter that feeds on the plant can pass the infection to other plants. Once an adult sharpshooter acquires the bacterium, it may transmit the disease throughout the rest of its life. The glassy-winged sharpshooter has an extremely wide host plant range. Researchers at UCR have been working on the glassy-winged sharpshooter for several years.