Texas A&M links heat to increased mealybug feeding

Researchers at Texas A&M AgriLife Research demonstrated that elevated temperatures alter mealybug feeding behavior, potentially explaining why pasture infestations inflict more severe damage during hot periods, reports EurekAlert eurekalert.org. The laboratory experiments, led by doctoral student Ashley Zavala and epidemiologist Thomas Chappell, utilize electropenetrography to measure the mechanical and biological aspects of insect ingestion under shifting microclimates eurekalert.org. The findings aim to support forage management against invasive pasture mealybugs that have spread to 114 Texas counties since being confirmed in July 2025 eurekalert.org.

Sensor tracking of insect feeding

To quantify feeding dynamics, scientists applied electropenetrography (EPG) by wiring insect specimens and host plants to electrical sensors eurekalert.org. The system records electrical waveforms that correspond to specific insect activities, such as tissue puncture, sap ingestion, and secretion eurekalert.org. While initial trials focused on a related mealybug species feeding on pepper plants, the team is translating the behavioral profiles to pasture mealybugs, which threaten forage grasses including Bermuda, Bahia, and bluestems across Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana eurekalert.org.

Temperature effects on plant damage

The sensor waveforms revealed that thermal stress forces mealybugs to adjust their fluid intake between plant vascular tissues eurekalert.org. When temperatures rise, the insects tap into the xylem more frequently to extract water and maintain hydration eurekalert.org. Concurrently, elevated heat increased the rate at which mealybugs salivate into the nutrient-rich phloem eurekalert.org. Because mealybug saliva carries destructive enzymes and toxins, this elevated secretion accelerates plant tissue dieback without requiring an increase in pest population density eurekalert.org.

Texas A&M AgriLife has mobilized an Emerging Pest Task Force to integrate these behavioral insights into pasture protection programs eurekalert.org. Scientists are linking the feeding data with environmental parameters like canopy density, humidity, and rainfall to design predictive models eurekalert.org. These models are intended to help ranchers optimize pesticide application schedules before heat-accelerated feeding causes irreversible pasture degradation eurekalert.org.

Texas A&M links high temperatures to increased mealybug feeding in lab tests

Sensor tracking of insect feeding

Temperature effects on plant damage

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