Central Texas Integrated Pest Management Meeting set for Aug. 26 in Temple
Free program addresses pasture mealybug, fall armyworm and New World screwworm
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will host the Central Texas Integrated Pest Management Meeting on Aug. 26 in Temple.
Learn the latest on pasture mealybug
AgriLife Extension’s fact sheet provides the latest approved treatment recommendations as well as identification tips and monitoring guidance. Review this online resource to protect your forage and grazing land.
The event is free, open to the public and held from 5-7:30 p.m. at Seaton Star Hall, 10842 Texas Highway 53. Registration begins at 4:30 p.m.
Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP by calling the AgriLife Extension office for Bell County at 254-933-5305 by Aug. 24. Pre-registration helps organizers prepare seating arrangements and printed materials.
Licensed pesticide applicators can earn two Texas Department of Agriculture integrated pest management continuing education units, CEUs.
Pasture mealybug takes top billing
The program’s primary focus will be the pasture mealybug, an emerging pest causing significant damage to forage across Central Texas. Since spring 2025, Texas pasture and hay producers have reported grass patches turning brown. In some extreme cases, entire fields have shown symptoms of dieback. Bell County and surrounding counties were largely spared last year, but infestations have spread widely across the region this summer.
Treatment options have been limited, but an emergency use exemption for Centric 40WG has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to control populations in heavily infested areas. Sefina is also labeled for the pest and has shown some ability to suppress smaller populations. AgriLife Extension experts continue to trial other treatment options and science-based control methods.
On the agenda
Educational sessions and speakers will include:
- Pasture mealybug management and fall armyworm identification and control, Tyler Mays, AgriLife Extension integrated pest management agent, Hillsboro.
- New World screwworm response update, Sonja Swiger, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension entomologist at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Stephenville and professor in the Texas A&M Department of Entomology.
While Bell County is under no direct threat from the New World screwworm at this time, AgriLife Extension is helping livestock producers across the state mitigate risk and plan ahead.
For more information, contact Floyd Ingram, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Bell County, at 254-933-5305 or [email protected].
