The sugarcane aphid came to the Lone Star State in 2013 as an unwelcomed guest for grain sorghum growers, but it is likely here to stay.
That year the aphid infested grain sorghum in South and East Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Missouri. Today, the pest has been reported damaging sorghum and other crops in 11 southern states and several states in Mexico, according to Southwest Farm Press.
“This year, from mid-April to early May, we had an explosion of sugarcane aphids,” said Danielle Sekula-Ortiz, an AgriLife Extension integrated pest management agent. “And now we’re back into the fall, and they remain very much established.”
Winter weather conditions and the presence of some green vegetation in South Texas are perfect for the pest to overwinter and scouting numbers show the pests have settled in the Rio Grande Valley and southern tip of Texas.