Avoiding Chinch Bugs

Chinch Bugs — Maintaining a healthy lawn throughout the summer months can often end up feeling like a daily battle against a wide range of environmental factors seeking to destroy it. Damage caused by chinch bugs can transform your green oasis into a dry, brown desert in a matter of weeks, undoing all of the nurturing care you’ve put into it. Homeowners, take heart! With proper identification and management methods, these insects are an enemy that can be easily defeated without the use of harsh pesticides.

Chinch Bugs — Life Cycle and Feeding Habits

Chinch bug is the common name for several species in the Lygaeidae family. These insects are most prevalent in the mid-western, north-eastern and southern parts of the United States. As adults, these insects spend the winter months in the relative protection of shrubs and plants near the home. In the late spring they transition onto open lawn areas where females spend weeks laying eggs. These eggs will hatch in the summer, and your lawn is the perfect nursery to feed this new generation of hungry chinch bugs.

These insects have a dual method of attacking and killing grass. First, they pierce each blade of grass with their mouthpieces, sucking out the essential sap. At the same time they inject toxins through their saliva which cause the blade to die.

Chinch Bugs — Identifying the Problem

Since lawn disease and death can occur for many reasons, you’ll want to first do some investigating to find out if chinch bugs are the source of your problem. There a few factors that can be good indicators of a chinch bug infestation. These insects are most active during the very hot weather of the late summer and are particularly attracted to sunny, open areas of the lawn. Damage from these pests usually appears as a dead patch of grass which grows larger in circumference as the newly hatched insects eat, destroy and expand outwards. If your lawn damage occurred somewhat suddenly in the late summer in the sunniest areas of your yard, there’s a good chance you’ve got chinch bugs.

The simplest method for finding and identifying these insects is to look for them near the roots of the lawn. The best time to do this is in the early morning after any dew has evaporated. Investigate the borders of dead and living grass patches by spreading the blades gently and looking near the roots. Young chinch bugs are a bright red color and are easy to spot, while winged adults have white banded markings on their backs. The presence of chinch bugs in both nymph and adult form is a good indicator of an infestation. This YouTube video gives an excellent demonstration of how to check for chinch bugs.

Chinch Bugs — Taking Back Your Lawn

A chinch bug attack does not have to ruin your lawn. First and foremost, it’s important to understand that proper care can afford your lawn a good chance of bearing a chinch bug population without sustaining noticeable damage.

Watering and mowing are two key factors in keeping your lawn healthy and able to fight the damaging effects of chinch bugs. Lawns that are watered often and watered slowly over several hours retain more moisture, reducing areas of drought susceptible to insect damage. In addition, mowing grass at your lawn mower’s highest setting can help keep each blade hydrated. The roots of a lawn reflect its surface appearance, and longer blades will create longer root systems able to reach farther into the soil for crucial water and nutrients. Mowing high and frequently can also reduce thatch, the least healthy portion of grass between the soil and the green surface. Thatch makes a wonderful home for insects, and keeping it under control with appropriate mowing can help keep them away.

If you’ve noticed new, sudden damage to your lawn, your chinch bugs may still be highly localized and can be dealt with using spot treatments such as the sheet trap method. Mix about an ounce of mild dish soap into a bucket of water and soak the infested area. Lay large towels or a flannel sheet over the soapy grass. The insects will rush to the surface of the lawn to escape the soap and become caught in the fabric, which can then be disposed of. The sheet trap technique can be highly effective in saving a patch of grass just beginning to show signs of insect damage.

It’s important to treat damaged grass immediately to prevent attacks in the future. Chinch bugs will reappear every year if a lawn is left uncared for, so using proactive mowing and watering methods as well as decisive action at the first sign of attack can help guard your lawn against these tiny nuisances for years to come.

---