Bagrada Bug Has The Potential To Spread Throughout The U.S.

Posted by Rosemary Gordon|June 9, 2015

The bagrada bug has moved into South Texas and has the potential to move to other areas of the U.S., damaging vegetable crops along the way. According to an article on AgriLife Today, the southern part of Texas is a “gateway for invasive species that can spread throughout the country,” said Dr. Raul Villanueva, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist in Weslaco.

How far will it spread? “That it was able to make its way out of El Paso, where we thought it was geographically isolated, tells us that it could quickly make its way to the Gulf Coast states and the Eastern U.S,” Villanueva told AgriLife Today. The bagrada bug can fly but it typically moves via commercial transportation, he explained.

In the meantime, Villanueva suggested growers outside of Texas keep an eye out for the bagrada bug. This pest typically attacks brassicas, feeding on leaves and fruit, but it also can attack tomatoes. The result is unmarketable fruit.

Dr. Juan Anciso, an AgriLife Extension fruit and vegetable specialist in Weslaco, told AgriLife Today that the bug can be controlled with insecticides, but growers need to be vigilant.