From flesh-eating screwworm flies threatening livestock and wildlife to spotted lanternflies swarming cities, mealybugs damaging crops, invasive plants choking waterways and Burmese pythons disrupting native ecosystems, invasive species are increasingly reshaping life across the United States. Their impacts ripple through farms, natural areas and communities, fueling billions in economic losses while accelerating biodiversity decline.
To address this escalating challenge, Southern land-grant universities are leading research efforts through a network of institutes, centers, agricultural experiment stations and Extension programs. Their work is advancing invasion science and delivering practical solutions to producers, land managers and communities across the region and beyond.
“Invasive species are a leading driver of global environmental change, and the ability to predict new invaders and develop rapid response strategies is critical to reducing their impacts effectively and efficiently,” said Luke Flory, Invasion Science Institute director at the University of Florida. “Land-grant universities are uniquely positioned to both advance basic understanding of how, where and why invasions occur, and how to manage them to reduce impacts on natural ecosystems, agriculture and human health.”
University of Florida Invasion Science Institute
Florida is especially vulnerable to invasions due to its subtropical climate, global trade hubs, extensive transportation networks and diverse aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. There have been over 3,700 non-native species introduced to the state over the past 150 years. In total, Florida has more established non-native species than any other U.S. state with new species continuing to be introduced at a higher rate than in previous decades.
The UF Invasion Science Institute addresses the pressing challenge of invasive species in Florida, across the U.S. and globally. The institute facilitates interdisciplinary research to enhance scientific discovery, develop innovative management solutions and train the next generation of scientists. There are more than 100 faculty across dozens of departments at UF who collaborate on invasion science to reduce the threat and impacts of invasions in the Southeast. There are currently multiple task forces working with stakeholders and agencies to address emerging threats from emerging pests such as New World screwworm (NWS) and pasture mealybug to ongoing management of pythons in the Everglades and decreasing the threat of lionfish invasions for coral reefs.
Texas A&M AgriLife on the frontline against New World screwworm
The NWS returned to the United States in June 2026, with the first case in Texas. The parasite larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, particularly bad news for wildlife and beef cattle, the state’s largest agricultural commodity.
With Texas on the front lines for this reemergence, what happens in Texas affects the rest of the Southern and Southwestern regions of the U.S.
Researchers, veterinarians, diagnosticians and Extension Service agents across the Texas A&M University System planned for more than a year to fight the flesh-eating parasite. As part of this effort, AgriLife Research is advancing the science behind the understanding of NWS and how to combat it, building on a legacy that includes Edward Knipling, whose USDA team helped develop the sterile insect technique, eradicating the pest from the U.S. six decades ago.
Texas A&M has received part of $105 million in USDA research funding to enhance detection, control and eradication of the pest, and the resulting NWS Grand Challenge focuses on four priorities: improving sterile fly production, developing new traps and lures, advancing therapeutics and treatments, and building broader preparedness and response tools.
Among the funded projects, AgriLife Research is evaluating electron beam, or eBeam, technology as a non-radioactive alternative to gamma irradiation for sterilizing pupae used in sterile insect technique programs — one of several investments designed to strengthen biosecurity for years to come.
The numbers are currently promising: Texas had 30 confirmed NWS cases in June, 14 in July, and just three in August, as of the date this story was written.
University of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
In a recent study, researchers at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture examined the genetics of rice stink bugs, a major pest of rice and grain sorghum across the Southeast. By comparing native and invasive rice stink bug species, scientists identified patterns of genetic variation that could improve tracking of insecticide resistance and support more effective pest management strategies for growers.
The research also revealed that the native rice stink bug population contains greater genetic diversity than two invasive species currently found in Florida, providing insights into pest movement and population dynamics. The findings offer a foundation for developing molecular tools that could help researchers monitor the spread of invasive insects and preserve the effectiveness of available control measures.
In a separate project, University of Arkansas scientists are addressing bovine theileriosis, a cattle disease spread by the invasive Asian longhorned tick. Supported by a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant, researchers are evaluating practical treatment options to help ranchers reduce losses from the disease, which has expanded rapidly across Arkansas. In addition to testing control strategies, the project includes outreach and education efforts to help producers and veterinarians identify, manage and limit the spread of this emerging livestock threat.
University of Georgia
Beyond its extensive invasion science work, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (UGA CAES) researchers have a major focus on the invasive yellow-legged hornet, first confirmed in Georgia in 2023. UGA scientists are working with the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the public to track and eradicate hornet populations through trapping, nest detection and community reporting efforts. More than 3,200 traps have been deployed, and more than 150 nests have been eliminated statewide.
UGA researchers are also studying the hornet’s behavior and diet to better understand its impact on honey bees and other beneficial insects. By analyzing genetic material from hornet nests, scientists are identifying prey species and developing knowledge that could support future control tools, including targeted baiting systems. The research is helping land-grant university scientists build long-term strategies to protect pollinators and reduce the ecological impacts of this invasive predator.
In addition, UGA Extension specialists are providing research-based guidance on the New World screwworm, a destructive livestock pest whose larvae feed on living tissue in animal wounds. Although the current risk to Georgia producers remains low, university experts are educating ranchers, veterinarians and agricultural professionals on surveillance, prevention and response strategies.
Louisiana State University AgCenter
In January, Louisiana State University AgCenter secured $1 million in federal funding to establish the Mississippi River Invasive Species Consortium, a collaboration among land-grant universities focused on improving the detection, identification and management of invasive pests and other non-native species across the Mississippi River Valley.
Building on its longstanding invasive species research and outreach programs, the LSU AgCenter will coordinate the consortium’s efforts to strengthen regional responses to emerging threats affecting crops, forests, waterways and wildlife.
The LSU AgCenter is also investigating the pasture mealybug, a newly confirmed invasive insect detected in Louisiana sugarcane fields. Researchers are assessing the pest’s distribution and potential impacts after infestations were associated with severe yellow canopy symptoms and significant yield losses. The work will help scientists better understand the emerging threat and provide growers with management recommendations to reduce its impact on sugarcane and pasture systems.
Oklahoma State University Agriculture
Researchers and Extension specialists at Oklahoma State University (OSU) have their own NWS task force, which regularly works with OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine and industry partners to update cattle producers on the pest’s progress and educate them on safe management practices.
IPM Oklahoma!, OSU’s integrated pest management program, is designed to provide economical and sustainable solutions that protect people, pets and resources from pests. The program uses research-based biological, cultural, mechanical, regulatory and chemical tools to combat crop, livestock and other environmental pests.
OSU experts research a variety of methods for controlling eastern redcedar populations and offer Extension experts to teach landowners these management practices. Some of the most recent research at the university examined how eastern redcedar increases the populations of mosquitoes and lone star ticks, another problem pest in the state that contributes to alpha-gal syndrome in humans.
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By Lourdes Mederos, rodriguezl@ufl.edu
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN RESEARCH COMMUNICATORS CONSORTIUM
Clemson University, Louisiana State University, North Carolina State University, Oklahoma State University, University of Tennessee, University of Florida, and University of Georgia are part of a system of agricultural research centers at 1862 and 1890 land-grant universities across the southern U.S. Our scientists collaborate to conduct research and outreach focused on preserving the region’s natural resources and enhancing food production for a growing global population.
ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
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