Mid-Coast IPM

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/

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

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...

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. 

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...

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...

1.       Scouting a.       Check edges of damaged areas more than in the middle of dead grass. b.       Look for leaf damage symptoms such as yellowing and red leaves. c.       Look for mealybugs on the underside of leaves, especially the lower leaves. d.        Check the soil surface and thatch below grass canopy for mealybugs. Often a majority of the mealybugs may be in the thatch and on and in the soil. e.       Mealybugs can be as large as 5 mm in length or as small as 0.2 mm. If larger mealybugs are being found, there may be many more small mealybugs that are difficult to see. f.         We have not determined a producer/consultant method for determining the size of the populations while in the field. However, if mealybugs are easily found, they are likely above an economic level. 2.    ...

We are at the time of the growing season where our primary insect pest is stink bugs. This is the case in sorghum, cotton and soybeans. While each crop has its own species causing damage, the fields are important to scout to identify the pests causing potential yield and quality losses. In grain sorghum, many fields are being harvested but there are some fields that are still susceptible to stink bug injury. The primary stink bug of concern in sorghum is the rice stink bug .  The economic threshold for stink bugs in sorghum changes as the crop matures; becoming less susceptible as it approaches hard dough as depicted on the graph below.  For detailed information on the economic thresholds of stink bugs in grain sorghum, look HERE . We are also finding sorghum aphids (AKA sugarcane aphids) in a number of fields in Refugio County. Check these fields to prevent harvest issues from the honeydew produced by the aphids. Cotton is also susceptible to stink bug damage from early bloom...