01/16/2026
Farmers beware
ALERT: Texas issues urgent alert as a newly detected pest spreads across more than 20 counties!!!
Texas ranchers and hay producers are being urged to take a hard look at their pastures after state officials confirmed a highly destructive new pest has arrived in the Lone Star State.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller on Wednesday issued an urgent alert about the pasture mealybug (Helicococcus summervillei), an invasive species never before reported in North America that is already damaging pasture acreage in multiple Texas counties.
As of late 2025 and into 2026, the Texas Department of Agriculture and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension have confirmed the presence of the pasture mealybug (Heliococcus summervillei) in 21 counties.
The infestation is primarily concentrated in Southeast Texas and the Rio Grande Valley, stretching from the Mexican border up through the Brazos Valley.
Victoria County has been identified as a major "hotspot" where entomologists have documented the most significant pasture losses and extreme field desiccation.
While the pest was first noticed in the Rio Grande Valley (Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy), it has rapidly spread north and east toward Houston and College Station.
Experts believe the bug may already be present in neighboring counties like Fort Bend and Harris, though official confirmation often lags behind field sightings.
If you are in or near these counties, officials recommend checking "unmanaged" areas first, such as:
• Fence lines and roadsides: Where grass grows tall and thick.
• Under "cow patties": Mealybugs often hide in the moisture and shade beneath dried manure.
• The Thatch Layer: Peel back dead grass to look for the tiny, white, fuzzy insects (approx. 2–3 mm long) at the base of the stems.
The hallmark of an infestation is "pasture dieback," where seemingly healthy grass begins to fail in a specific, progressive pattern. The initial signs are yellowing, reddening, or purpling of the leaf tips, which eventually moves down the blade toward the stem. Affected plants exhibit stunted growth, meaning they have smaller root systems, fewer tillers, and reduced seed heads. Damage usually starts in small, circular patches (less than 1 meter) that rapidly develop into massive dead zones, often following significant rainfall when the pests are most active.
The pasture mealybug is uniquely difficult to manage because of its biology and "hidden" lifestyle. Unlike many pests that simply drain nutrients, the juvenile pasture mealybug injects toxic saliva into the plant while feeding on sap. This toxin disrupts the plant’s health far beyond the physical site of feeding.
A single female can produce nearly 100 offspring within 24 hours. This allows populations to explode from invisible levels to devastating numbers in a single growing season.
During dry or cold periods, the mealybugs retreat deep into the soil, under cow manure, or within dense grass thatch. This makes contact insecticides largely ineffective, as the chemicals cannot reach the majority of the population.
It doesn't discriminate, attacking common forage and turf grasses including Bermudagrass, Bahia, St. Augustine, and Bluestem.
There is currently no single chemical silver bullet for the pasture mealybug. Management strategies focus on Integrated Pest Management (IPM):
1. Scouting: Inspecting fence lines and under "cow patties" for the white, fuzzy insects.
2. Equipment: Cleaning machinery to prevent moving the bugs between fields.
3. Pasture Diversity: Incorporating legumes or broadleaf crops, which the mealybug does not attack.
4. Controlled Burn: Used in some regions to reduce the "thatch" layer where bugs hide.
Given the rapid spread of the pasture mealybug, Texas A&M AgriLife and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) have established specific reporting channels to track the infestation.
The lead specialist coordinating the response and tracking county-by-county data is:
• Stephen Biles (Extension Program Specialist – IPM)
• Email: stephen.biles@ag.tamu.edu or biles-sp@tamu.edu
• Phone: 361-920-1138
If you prefer to report through official state channels, the Texas Department of Agriculture maintains a toll-free hotline for invasive pest alerts:
• TDA Hotline: 1-800-TELL-TDA (1-800-835-5832)
If you are in one of the primary "hotspot" counties, you can contact your local office directly for a field inspection or sample collection. Here are your contacts for each county:
Victoria-Kara Matheney. 361-575-4581 victoria-tx@tamu.edu
Brazos-Chadd Caperton. 979-823-0129. brazos-tx@tamu.edu
Wharton-Corrie Bowen.979-532-3310 corrie.bowen@ag.tamu.edu
Austin-Michelle Wright 979-865-2072. austin-tx@tamu.edu
Wilson-Samantha Shannon 830-393-7357 wilson-tx@tamu.edu
To help experts confirm the presence of the mealybug, try to have the following ready when you call or email:
• High-quality photos: Close-ups of the white, fuzzy insects and photos of the "dieback" patches in your field.
• Location: GPS coordinates or a specific address/cross-street.
• Grass Type: Note if it is Bermudagrass, Bahia, or another variety.
• Sample: If possible, place a few affected stems with insects into a sealed plastic bag and keep them in a cool place (like a refrigerator) until an agent can view them.
Since its first description in Australia, the pest has moved across the Caribbean and, as of late 2024/early 2025, has been confirmed in over 20 counties in Texas.
