WACO, Texas — Pasture mealybugs are damaging grass across Texas, and a Waco fertilizer shop owner and the state's agriculture commissioner are warning residents to act fast to protect their land.
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Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said the pest has now reached 80 counties.
"The mealy bug, it is a new one. It's in 80 counties. We've never had it before," Miller said.
Miller said the bug spreads quickly and can be difficult to contain.
"It spreads rapidly, starts out as a small patch, circular patch, and then grows and grows and grows. So you have to get on it real quick is the bottom line," Miller said.
Gary Payne, owner of Brazos Feed and Supply in Waco, said the damage to hay fields can happen within days and carries serious financial consequences.
"If it gets in a hay field, it can wipe a hay field out in no time, and that cost the ranchers money, that costs the horse people money because hay would be short and that kind of thing," Payne said.
Payne said a hay field can be destroyed in as little as 2 days.
"They can, from what I understand, they can in a couple of days wipe out a hay field," Payne said.
At his store, Payne said the products he carries are geared toward homeowners rather than large-scale pasture treatment.
"So in our store, we would cater more to the homeowner. The big pasture type issues where a producer's got a hay crop or something, that's gonna be a whole different thing," Payne said.
Miller said a large-scale chemical solution has not been widely available, though an emergency use authorization has been secured.
"We haven't had any chemicals labeled to get to it. We do have one now. I was able to get an emergency use. So you can do that. You can go to our website, texasagriculture.gov, search mealybug, and it'll give you all of the instructions on it. The problem is it's in short supply, so you need to get on it real quick. Even if you don't have mealybugs, you might wanna get enough to spot spray and check your fields daily. It's a very devastating pest," Miller said.
Experts recommend checking pastures regularly. Residents who suspect mealybugs should contact their local AgriLife Extension office.
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