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Centric Section 18 for Control of Pasture Mealybug

The EPA approved a FIFRA Section 18 Crisis Emergency Exemption for Centric 40WG insecticide to control mealybug in pasture grass in the State of Texas. The Section 18 Exemption can be found HERE We updated the Mealybug Fact sheet to reflect the Section 18. The update reads as follows: Pasture Mealybug Management When grass injury symptoms are detected and the pest is present, management with cultural and chemical methods may be used to help reduce mealybug numbers. Cultural control methods include cutting/shredding and heavy grazing. Pasture mealybugs thrive in tall, dense forage, so reducing biomass by cutting/shredding and heavy grazing will also reduce the mealybug populations. Chemical control is still being evaluated, but there are several insecticides that research has shown to have activity against pasture mealybug. Labeled for use in pastures in Texas: Centric 40WG has a Section 18 Crisis Emergency Exemption for use at 2 to 3.44 ounces per acre. ...
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Revised Pasture Mealybug Fact Sheet Available

The Pasture Mealybug Fact Sheet has been updated to reflect the research done in the past year.  You can read this document here:  https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/pasture-mealybug/
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Pasture Mealybug Audio Update

The link below is for a Pasture mealybug audio update: Now in 74 counties, detailed control strategies, insecticide update. https://txt.so/AZIHIC For more audio updates and to subscribe, follow this link.   https://www.texasinsects.org/south-texas.html
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Pasture Mealybug in Hay - Updated

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Will the pasture mealybug be moved in hay bales?  This is one of the many questions asked over the past year. My thought has been, yes, the mealybug can move in hay bales, but we have no research on this topic. The problem with the mealybugs staying in cut grass is, as the grass dries, there is less plant sap for the mealybug to feed on. So the logical assumption is the insects will leave the grass.  A few weeks ago, Dr. David Kerns shared some data on this showing most mealybugs left the grass but about 5% were found in the cut grass 48 hours after cutting. We conducted a similar research test on a field of WW-B Dahl grass near Port Lavaca. The field was sampled on June 30 prior to cutting on July 1 and the cut hay was sampled on July 3, two days after cutting. The results were similar to those of Dr. Kerns. In the Port Lavaca Test, about 100 mealybugs were found in a similar amount of grass as the 2 sq ft samples taken prior to cutting the grass. This is 8.7% of our pre-cutt...
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Pasture Mealybug - Infested Counties

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The map below shows where we have found pasture mealybugs and where we expect to find them. The map will be updated as additional counties are added.  If you find them in one of the counties not shown in dark green, please contact me with information on the detection.  You can send pictures of the mealybug, damage and grass species (if known) to my email at:  stephen.biles@agnet.tamu.edu   I also encourage you to inform your County Extension Agent. 
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Stink Bugs in Cotton

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We have seen an increase in stink bugs in cotton over the past few weeks. When scouting fields, pull 20 1-inch bolls from 5 locations and inspect them for internal feeding by popping them open. The 1-inch boll size is important to ensure you are finding recent boll damage. A 1-inch boll is roughly 10 days after white bloom. We continue to sample plants with the vacuums to see if we can find Cotton Jassid. So far, we have not found any cotton jassds in Calhoun, Refugio, or Victoria Counties. In 2026, they have only been found in plant nurseries in the Rio Grande Valley, but not north of there. One insect we are capturing in most samples is the verde plant bug. The feeding of verdes can be similar to that of stink bugs and may explain the higher amount of feeding injury we are finding in cotton bolls. Internal feeding can look like lint staining or other non-white looking seed, but it is typically associated with wart formation on the interior boll wall. Look for bolls with external feed...
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Pasture Mealybug in Grain Sorghum

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This week I was able to visit a field of grain sorghum in DeWitt County that was infested with pasture mealybugs.  The field was ready for a harvest aid application and the grower's concern was the mealybugs may go to the heads after the application and get everything sticky with honeydew.  Pasture Mealybugs on Grain Sorghum Photo by S. Biles Most of the plants had many mealybugs per leaf, generally toward the base of the leaf on the underside. The grower indicated the mealybugs were all over the 60 acre field. We walked a few hundred feet into the field and found them everywhere we stopped. They didn't get there recently; but were first noticed in early June. The mealybugs were found on the lower leaves but caused significant damage to those leaves and the upper leaves were not as green as they should be. I suspect the mealybugs likely caused some yield loss.  While there was sooty mold on the lower leaves, very little honeydew was noticed, and it was not very sticky whe...
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