If you have (a) beef & you get easily bugged, uhh...

[samhexum]

Texas agriculture officials issued an urgent alert this week after confirming that a newly identified invasive pest is spreading quickly across more than 20 counties, threatening grazing lands, hay production and livestock operations across the state.

The insect, Helicococcus summervillei – known as the pasture mealybug – has never before been reported in North America. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said the pest is already causing visible damage in multiple regions.

"This is a completely new pest to our continent, and Texas is once again on the front lines," Miller said. "If the pasture mealybug spreads across Texas grazing lands like it has in eastern Australia, it could cost Texas agriculture dearly in lost productivity and reduced livestock capacity."

The Texas Department of Agriculture says it is working with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to evaluate how far it is spreading and to determine the best emergency response strategy.

The pasture mealybug was first described in Australia in 1928, according to AgriLife Extension publications, and was known to be responsible for millions of acres of lost pasture due to "pasture dieback." The publication describes the condition as when the insect feeds at the soil level and within plant tissues, weakening and eventually killing grass essential for grazing and hay production.

While the species is believed to be new to North America, researchers suspect the insect has been present since before 2022.

So far, state and extension experts have documented 20 counties as being infected.

According to a Pest Incident Worksheet from AgriLife entomologists, the most significant pasture losses are in Victoria County.

It’s also noted that the most susceptible grasses to infestation are Bermudagrass, Bahia grass, Johnsongrass, haygrazer (sorghum–sudangrass), St. Augustine grass, bluestem varieties and other tropical or subtropical grasses.

Damage can be difficult to detect early because the insects feed low on the plant and beneath surface debris. Warning signs include yellowing within a week of infestation, purpling or reddening of leaves, stunting despite adequate moisture, weakening root systems and patchy areas of thinning or dead grass. The bugs appear as small white fuzzy clusters on grass or plant matter.

As of now, there are no insecticides labeled for the control of the pest in the U.S.

 

The wax-covered pasture mealybug, shown here on a damaged blade of grass, is causing dieback and threatening Texas grazing lands.