# Pasture Mealybug Could Cost Texas Farmers and Ranchers $2 Billion a Year

By John Kim

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/business/50887
Published: 2026-11-07T14:51:19.000Z
Updated: 2026-11-07T14:51:19.000Z
Section: Business

> The pest was first found in South Texas in 2022 and has since spread to Louisiana, Georgia and Florida. Florida growers have also found damage in sugarcane that was still growing.

The sap-feeding pest has spread from South Texas into Louisiana, Georgia and Florida, while David Kerns, associate head of Texas A&M University's entomology department, estimates it could cost Texas farmers and ranchers $2 billion a year.

The pest was first found in South Texas in 2022. Kerns says it favors hot, humid conditions and thick, tall grass. It feeds on plant sap and injects a toxin, weakening the grass.

Affected grass may turn yellow, then red or purple, before dying. On a Central Texas cattle ranch, William Steubing said his mother was the first to notice sections of pasture dying. The ranch has been in his family since the 1890s.

Infestations can be difficult to spot. In July, a farmer contacted Danielle Sekula, a Texas A&M AgriLife pest specialist, after a hay mower appeared to send white smoke into the air. Sekula identified the pest as pasture mealybug. The plume came from insects chopped by the mower.

Steubing said an infestation can initially resemble white mold. He described how a few bare spots in a pasture may be ordinary, but the affected area had dead plants. The insects' small size can make it hard to recognize the problem before the grass shows damage.

The pest is also affecting sugarcane in Florida. Farmers first identified it there in late May, after most of that year's crop had been harvested. Julien Beuzelin, a University of Florida entomologist, said sugarcane still growing was showing damage, with stalks becoming rubbery and losing integrity.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved several pesticides, but none fully controls the insects. Kerns said pesticide costs may exceed what some farmers are willing to pay. Researchers are studying the pest and whether some crops may be more resistant to its effects.