Managing and Recovering From Chinch Bug Damage
- Water the Lawn. Since this pest requires hot dry conditions for optimum survival and reproduction, irrigation during...
- Use Resistant Turfgrasses. Overseed areas that have historically been d amaged by chinch bugs with perennial ryegrasses,...
- Use Pest Control. Chinch bugs are rather easy to detect in turf and targeted...
- Kill chinch bugs with broad-spectrum pesticide.
- Try diatomaceous earth for a chemical-free alternative.
- Reseed the spots left bare from chinch bug damage.
- Dethatch your lawn annually to keep it healthy.
- Cut no more than one-third of the grass blade when you mow.
Does Triazicide kill chinch bugs?
The formula kills chinch bugs and other listed insects by contact, above and below the soil, and creates a bug barrier in your lawn for 3 months. Granules can be applied to your lawn, around your foundation, and on flower and vegetable gardens (on listed vegetables). Be sure to follow all label instructions.
Does your lawn have chinch bugs?
If your lawn is showing discolored patches, you may have a chinch bug infestation. Heavy infestations are easy to identify–you may see the insects running over grass blades or even migrating as a group across pavement. It’s not always so obvious, though, so here are a couple of things you can do to check.
How to detect and treat common lawn pests?
Pouring soapy water on a patch of lawn (called a drench test) provides an easy way to flush pests to the surface. Dissolve two tablespoons of dish washing detergent (lemony scents work best) in two gallons of water. Pour the solution over a square-yard area of lawn. Observe carefully.
How to get rid of chinch bugs from the House?
This is how to make a DIY dish soap for chinch bugs:
- Get 1 cup of water, 1 teaspoon of dish soap, and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil (any kind).
- Get a large container.
- Mix all 3 liquids into the container. Don’t stir. ...
- Get a spray bottle.
- Pour the solution into the spray bottle.
- Spray all affected areas of your lawn with the dish soap. Be sure to be generous in your spraying if you have a lot of chinch bugs.
Will grass grow back after chinch bug damage?
Plant damage results not only from withdrawal of sap, but from chinch bug saliva, which contain substances toxic to the plant. Drought or heat stress may cause similar browning of turf, but proper watering will quickly rejuvenate the lawn. Turf injured by chinch bugs will not recover as quickly.
What does chinch bug damage look like on a lawn?
Chinch Bug Signs and Symptoms Particularly in hot, dry weather, small yellow patches will gradually become large sections of damaged turf. You can visually inspect the grass in the suspected area for signs of chinch bugs. At an early age, they can be light red to orange in color with a white stripe on their abdomen.
What time of year is best to treat chinch bugs?
AugustLook for chinch bugs before the hot, dry weather occurs in August. You can see them most easily on days warmer than 20°C when they are most active. Try parting the grass and looking at the base of the grass plants.
Can chinch bugs be transferred by lawn mowers?
Can chinch bugs be transferred by lawn mowers? Chinch bugs cannot be transferred by lawn mowers since they tend to avoid the upper sections of the grass blades and stay at the base of your turf.
What time of year do chinch bugs come out?
springDepending on the area you're located in and the type of climate your area has, chinch bugs begin to become active in the early spring, but they are the most active and destructive during late June–September when weather is warmest. Most people start to see visible damage around the beginning of August.
What animal eats chinch bugs?
Biological control of chinch bugs: Natural enemies such as ants, big eyed bugs (Geocoris uliginosus), earwigs, ground beetles (see photo below), spiders, red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) and wasps (Eumicrosoma benefica) help to suppress the populations of chinch bugs.
Do chinch bugs go away in winter?
Chinch bugs are inactive during the winter months, as they prefer warmer, dry climates.
What is the best chinch bug killer?
Products that provide satisfactory control of chinch bugs include those containing carbaryl or any of the pyrethroid insecticides, such as bifenthrin (some Scotts® and Ortho® brands), cyfluthrin (Bayer brands), lambda-cyhalothrin (Spectracide® brands) or permethrin (e.g., Green Light® and Spectracide®).
How long do chinch bugs last?
50 daysLife Cycle/Reproduction In May and June, adult chinch bugs lay eggs, which hatch within three weeks into wingless red nymphs about half the size of a pinhead. Nymphs slowly darken in colour and grow wings as they mature. Adults live an average of 50 days.
What time of day are chinch bugs most active?
afternoonChinch bugs are most active during the early afternoon when it is sunny and warm. Adults can be seen in the spring on grass blades and nearby structures such as patios, foundation walls and fencing. Nymphs will be present from mid-to-late June through to August and will be found near the thatch layer.
What are chinch bugs attracted to?
According to Health Canada, chinch bugs are attracted to lawns with excess nitrogen. If you're going to use a fertilizer, don't overdo it, and look for one that's low in nitrogen.
How often do you spray for chinch bugs?
every two monthsPREVENTING CHINCH BUGS IN YOUR LAWN When grass starts to turn green in the spring, apply Amdro Quick Kill Lawn Insect Killer Granules every two months. Use a push or handheld spreader at a rate of 1.2 pounds per 500 square feet, and then water lightly.
How do I know if I have chinch bugs or grubs?
Grubs chew off grass roots and cause it to easily peel up in chunks, sometimes in large areas. In contrast, surface chinch bugs pierce and suck grass blade juices. Unlike grub damage, chinch bug leave the grass dry, yet well rooted. Chinch bug damage looks like razor stubble, with tufts of dead grass on the surface.
How do you tell if bugs are killing your grass?
Grub symptoms: Grub damage begins with signs of wilted grass blades, followed by brown turf patches and eventual death. Spongy, grub-damaged turf lifts easily off the soil in spring and summer to reveal grubs underneath.
What is the best chinch bug killer?
Products that provide satisfactory control of chinch bugs include those containing carbaryl or any of the pyrethroid insecticides, such as bifenthrin (some Scotts® and Ortho® brands), cyfluthrin (Bayer brands), lambda-cyhalothrin (Spectracide® brands) or permethrin (e.g., Green Light® and Spectracide®).
What does a chinch look like?
Chinch bugs are tiny, hard-to-see insects that cause lawn damage which can often be confused with drought stress. When these lawn bugs are young, they are red in color but as they mature to adults, they turn black and have a white spot on their back in the shape of an “X.” Adults grow to be about a quarter inch long.
What do chinch bugs do to grass?
They destroy by inserting their razor-sharp beaks into a blade of grass and then sucking out its natural fluids, causing the grass to dehydrate and die.
What kills chinch bugs?
Most turf-type pesticides will kill chinch bugs, but check the label to be sure. Apply a pesticide, such as BioAdvanced Complete Insect Killer for Soil and Turf (available from Amazon ), to the turf following application instructions carefully.
How many chinch bugs are in a square foot of lawn?
The common chinch bug ( blissus leucopterus) is found nationwide, but normally at a rate of less than 10 to 15 bugs per square foot of lawn.
Why is my grass turning brown?
Any time you find yellow patches of grass that turn brown and die—especially in sunny spots during hot weather—it’s probably chinch bug damage. Read on to learn how to stop the grass-killing bug in its tracks, and how to keep it from re-infesting your lawn in the future.
When is the best time to dethatch grass?
A dense layer of thatch prevents air and sunlight from reaching the bottom of the grass blade, which weakens the overall health of the lawn. Spring is the best time to dethatch, and you can hire a landscaping company to do it or do it yourself with a yard-size dethatcher, such as Greenworks 14-Inch Corded Dethatcher (available from Amazon ).
Does pesticide kill chinch bugs?
Note that pesticides will kill chinch bugs but not their eggs, so some products require two separate applications: the first to kill existing bugs and a second, several weeks later, to kill any that hatched from eggs laid before the initial application.
Does cutting grass make it more prone to infestations?
While mowing keeps your lawn looking smooth and lush, cutting more than one-third of the grass blade stresses the lawn, which weakens it and makes it more prone to future infestations.
How to find chinch bugs?
In order to find them you will have to get down on your hands and knees and spread the turf apart. The best place to look for active chinch bugs is in areas where the stressed turf meets the healthy turf.
What grasses are good for chinch bugs?
Overseed areas that have historically been d amaged by chinch bugs with perennial ryegrasses, fine fescues and tall fescues that contain entophytic fungi. Endophytic grasses deter chinch bug feeding.
What are the bugs that live in the thatch layer of a lawn?
The Grass Expert A Guide to Lawn Damage A Guide to Insect Control. Chinch bugs are common lawn insects that can cause extensive damage if left untreated. They live in the thatch layer of a lawn, where they feed on the grass by piercing the plant with their mouth and sucking the plant juices.
Why are my lawns dying?
Heavily infested lawns may have significant plant mortality because of the toxic effect of chinch bug saliva and reseeding will be necessary. Major damage caused by chinch bugs is often mistaken for drought stress and not treated accordingly.
Why does my lawn turn brown after chinching?
When chinch bugs feed, they release enzymes that facilitate easy feeding. The enzymes continue damaging the plant after feeding, and cause the grass to turn brown and potentially die. Chinch bugs are generally found in hot, sunny areas of a lawn. They tend to aggregate, which initially results in localized dead patches.
Can chinch bugs be found in turf?
Chinch bugs are rather easy to detect in turf and targeted insecticide applications can be applied to reduce populations which appear to be building to damaging levels. Talk to your local Nutri-Lawn about Integrated Pest Management principles effective for controlling chinch bugs.
How Do You Spot the Chinch Bugs?
Before you know how to treat chinch bugs, you need to know their appearance. When these lawn bugs are young, they are red, but they turn black as they grow older.
How to Treat Chinch Bugs in Lawns
If the bug infestation in your lawn is over 15 sq ft, you might want to consider insecticide treatment. To eliminate chinch bugs, you can treat your grass with various granular and liquid insecticides. Ortho lawn insect killer works well against chinch bug infestations.
How do you spot a lawn infested with chinch bugs?
Lawns infested with chinch bugs appear to be drought-stricken. Drought damage causes a uniformly brown spot, whereas chinch bugs leave mottled yellow or brown patches with clumps of unaffected grass in between.
What Does Chinch Bug Damage Look Like?
Lawns affected by chinch bugs are often confused with lawns suffering from drought. Chinch bugs use their piercing mouthparts to suck moisture from grass blades, then inject a poison into the blades that interrupts water movement within the grass, causing the grass to die.
What happens when chinch bugs die?
Next, grass will turn brown and die. As the grass dies, chinch bugs will move to the perimeter of the dead grass, causing dead patches of grass to spread outward.
How to tell if you have chinch bugs?
What may begin as a small patch of dead grass will quickly grow into a large area of dead grass, constantly expanding outward. One way to tell if you have chinch bugs and not drought is if the grass does not green up after it has been watered. If your grass remains dead, you might have chinch bugs.
What are chinch bugs?
Chinch bugs are tiny bugs that can cause major damage to your lawn by sucking your grass blades dry and injecting them with poison. If you suspect you have chinch bugs, read this guide to learn how to find chinch bugs in your yard.
How many chinch bugs per square foot?
Count the number of chinch bugs you see. The threshold for treating your lawn is generally 15 or more chinch bugs per square foot.
When do chinch bugs live?
Chinch bugs thrive in the southern United States and prefer St. Augustine and zoysia grasses. The pests are most active in late June through early September. Damage typically occurs in the sunniest areas of your lawn, especially when the weather is hot or dry. Thick, lush lawns are especially prone to chinch bug damage as ...
Can chinch bugs lay eggs in lawn?
Thick, lush lawns are especially prone to chinch bug damage as the thick thatch offers a great place for adult chinch bugs to feed and lay eggs.
