This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: High temperatures change how mealybugs feed, and that could help explain why some pasture mealybug infestations do far more damage than others, according to early findings from Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists. The study, led by doctoral student Ashley Zavala in the lab of Thomas Chappell, Ph.D., an epidemiologist in the Texas A&M Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, focuses on mealybug feeding behaviors under a range of environmental conditions.
These findings could eventually help ranchers more precisely manage the invasive pest that continues to spread across Texas and impact native and regionally adapted improved grasses. Pasture mealybug was first confirmed in Texas in July 2025 and has since expanded to 114 counties across the state, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologists. It is a serious threat to the forage and grazing lands that support Texas' $15.5 billion cattle industry and other pasture-based livestock operations.
The pest has also been reported in Florida, Georgia and Louisiana, and scientists are concerned it could impact other agricultural production, including sugarcane and rice. In pastures, immature mealybugs feed on plant sap and inject toxins that weaken the grass, often leading to a condition known as pasture dieback. In severe infestations, fields can turn brown, thin out dramatically or die entirely.
The invasive pest impacts a broad mix of native and improved warm-season grasses, from bermudagrass and bahiagrass to bluestems and other key forage species. To measure how mealybugs feed under different conditions, the team uses a technique called electropenetrography, or EPG. The method attaches a sensor to the insect and the plant to record feeding activity as a waveform, which Chappell compares to reading an electrocardiogram.
"It's tedious work, but it's exciting to know that what we are learning could make an impact and help people deal with this serious pest threat," Zavala said. "If we can better understand what changes the way these insects feed, that's a piece of the puzzle that can help guide management." Chappell's lab is applying the technique to a related mealybug species feeding on pepper plants, but he sees a clear connection to pasture mealybug. He said forecasting tools that consider feeding behavior, plant stress and susceptibility, and weather patterns could help growers more precisely time their pesticide applications—much like existing weather-driven modeling has done for other pests.
Intelligent agriculture systems could further hone how the data are processed as well as the accuracy and effectiveness of those forecasting tools. "Mealybugs were relatively underexplored because, before pasture mealybugs, they had not been as big a threat to ag producers," Chappell said. "EPG paves the way for new insights about pest-plant interactions in specific environmental factors." Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly.
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