Screen insecticides against the pasture mealybug (heliococcus summervillei) to determine the efficacy and optimal applications timing in pasture and HAY environments

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service a $142,412 cooperative agreement on May 15, 2026, to screen insecticides against the pasture mealybug (Heliococcus summervillei) and determine efficacy and optimal application timing in pasture and hay environments. The research will provide U.S. producers of pasture and hay with mitigation tools to control this significant pest.

Work is performed in Texas and runs through May 14, 2027. Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service, a child entity of The Texas A&M University System, is a land-grant extension operation headquartered in College Station, Texas, that delivers applied agricultural research, extension education, and pest surveillance programming across Texas. The organization receives the majority of its federal funding through cooperative agreements with APHIS for plant and animal health surveillance, alongside formula and competitive grants from USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture for extension programming and agricultural research.

This research will provide mitigation tools for U.S. Producers of pasture and HAY to control this significant mealybug.