ADDIS — A tiny pest called the pasture mealy bug is threatening Louisiana's sugar cane crop just weeks before harvest and farmers say they've never seen anything like it before.

The insect introduces a toxin into the sugar cane plant, causing leaves to turn yellow. More than 10 parishes have already seen effects from the pest this year.

"With yellowing, we can't go through the process of photosynthesis and keep the plant healthy," said Turner Graham.

Graham said there could be up to a 5 percent yield loss industrywide. Less sugar from the crop means less money for farmers who are already spending to fight the infestation.

Troy Canella is among those feeling the pressure. He farms about 3,000 acres of sugar cane each year and sprays thousands of acres daily to fight the infestation.

"I'm a fifth-generation sugar cane farmer," Canella said. "It means everything you know to carry on."

Unlike grain crops, sugar cane can't be stored while waiting for better conditions. Once harvest begins in mid-September, farmers have about 100 to 120 days to cut and process every acre.

"When harvest starts, we're a couple million dollars in," Canella said.

Canella compared the uncertainty to a difficult season his operation faced before. "I kind of compare this to the drought of 2023, where we were very uneasy, and we didn't know what we were looking at," he said. "We have never been through a drought like that, and we've never seen a pest like this come in this fast."

To protect their fields, growers are turning to a new pesticide. "So we're using a new chemical called imidacloprid," Graham said.

The treatment comes at a high cost. "It takes 10 ounces per acre, and we have sprayed more than 100,000 acres industry-wide already, and that cost can be about $15 an acre at least each time," Graham said.

The insect has a sticky exterior that can attach to equipment, clothes, and wild animals, leading researchers to encourage farmers to wash off their equipment consistently.