Coordinated Response to Pasture Mealybug

Pasture mealybug (PMB) is an invasive pest affecting warm season perennial grasses, sugarcane, and other crops in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. USDA is partnering with states, industry, extension, and researchers to improve detection, advance research, and reduce the pest’s impacts. USDA agencies are coordinating closely to share timely information, strengthen response efforts, and support producers and agricultural communities.

Cross‑Agency Collaboration on PMB Response

To strengthen and coordinate the federal PMB response, USDA agencies are working through a unified, cross‑agency collaboration that brings together the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This effort also includes cooperation with State Departments of Agriculture in affected states and Land‑Grant universities with active PMB research and extension programs. Together, these partners coordinate research priorities, share emerging findings, reduce duplication, and accelerate the development of practical tools and information that producers, extension agents, and industry can use to manage PMB and reduce its impacts.

Improving Detection and Diagnostic Capacity

APHIS is:

• Providing technical resources, including a PMB New Pest Response Guideline, screening aid, survey guidance, data sheets, and state response plans; see the APHIS PMB web page
• Training cooperators through webinars and workshops on identification, survey techniques, and slide mounting.
• Providing Plant Protection Act 7721 funding to support detection surveys in areas without confirmed PMB.

Advancing Research and Biological Control

APHIS is:

• Supporting research and methods development with Plant Protection Act 7721 funds targeting treatment research, biological control, and response and mitigation evaluations in pastures.
• Identifying potential natural enemies and parasitoids that may serve as biological controls.

ARS is:

• Coordinating a national research team focused on PMB biology, population dynamics, biological control, pesticide testing, and plant resistance.
• Leading a rapid response research planning effort with partners.
• Screening sugarcane varieties for resistance.

APHIS and ARS meet frequently with states and impacted industry groups to share findings and guidance.

Supporting Producers and Land Managers

APHIS is:

• Sharing updates with producers, extension agents, and industry partners through existing communication channels.
• Encouraging best practices to limit human‑assisted spread; ensure machinery, clothing, vehicles, and other materials leaving infested fields are thoroughly cleaned using methods such as pressure washing, brushing, lint rolling, or appropriate washing or treatment.
• Working with State Departments of Agriculture to amplify messaging within their states.
• Developing nursery mitigation guidance for host materials.

Leveraging Federal Programs and Partnerships

USDA agencies are coordinating to:

• Implement and support the Rapid Agricultural Crisis Response Plan.
• Align research, technical updates, biological control evaluations, and communication materials.

PMB is included in priority categories for Plant Protection Act 7721 funding, supporting research and methods development, survey, and management tool development.

PMB Funded Projects

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (PDF, 145 KB)

Recent Activities

USDA’s PMB research and response efforts follow an iterative, science-driven approach that evolves as new information becomes available. Beginning in 2025, with the first U.S. detection of PMB, USDA initiated early field studies in Texas to document PMB biology, evaluate potential natural enemies, strengthen identification and slide-mounting techniques, and improve survey methods under real-world conditions. These early efforts, built in collaboration with state partners, Land-Grant universities, and extension, helped establish foundational knowledge about PMB behavior in different climates, soil types, and agricultural systems.

In 2025 and 2026, USDA expanded PMB research across additional affected states, including Florida and Louisiana, to better understand the pest’s spread and evaluate insecticide efficacy, biological control potential, and host interactions. This work coincided with new detection patterns and increased producer concern, reinforcing the need to test tools under a variety of environmental and production conditions. In August 2026, ARS convened a national PMB summit in Florida with APHIS, industry stakeholders, university partners, and state cooperators to align priorities, share early results, and ultimately develop a plan of action to reduce the impacts of PMB in the U.S.

Looking ahead to 2027, USDA agencies are working through a coordinated framework, including APHIS, ARS, and NIFA to continue refining detection and survey methods, evaluate biological control candidates, advance pesticide trials, and improve communication with producers and industry. As data from multiple states accumulate, this coordinated, multi-year effort will help identify practical tools and strategies that producers, extension agents, and land managers can apply to reduce PMB impacts across diverse agricultural landscapes.

Contact the PMB Cross‑Agency Collaboration

Contact APHIS Plant Health Contacts for more information.

Sign Up for PMB Updates

To receive updates on the PMB Cross-Agency Collaboration activities, join the APHIS email list. Once you sign up, you can subscribe to the "Pasture Mealybug" topic through the following steps:

1. Select Plant Health Information.
2. Select Plant Health in the US (Domestic).
3. Select Pest Management.
4. Check the Pasture Mealybug box.
5. Submit your subscription.