Chinch Bugs: How to Spot and Treat These Lawn Pests

When it comes to pests that damage your lawn, there are few that love the summer more than Chinch Bugs. They thrive in the heat and sun. Because of how quickly their damage spreads, they are often the cause of many dying and struggling lawns during Texas summers. If you’ve noticed irregular patches of dying grass across your lawn that aren’t helped by watering or fertilizing, it’s time to see if these pests are the root of the problem.

What Attracts Chinch Bugs? 

Image Source: Oklahoma State University

Chinch bugs thrive in dry, sunny conditions. Prolonged dry spells or droughts, common for the Bryan/College Station area, can increase the risk of infestation. They love compacted, dry soil in direct sunlight, and they avoid shaded areas on your lawn. The hottest and sunniest parts of the day are when they are most active. They begin to hatch and feed during the late spring, but are active throughout the hot summer and fall months.

How to Confirm You Have Chinch Bugs

Image Source: University of Illinois

Their damage first appears as irregular patches of withering, yellow grass in open, sunny spots. Along with yellowing or browning, grass will look thinner and straw-like. Patches spread and merge together to form large areas of dead grass. These form quickly, especially during dry spells or heat waves. Over time, damaged grass will die completely and leave bare spots of dirt on your lawn.

While this is easy to spot, it can appear similar to the damage caused by other lawn insects. If you want to confirm exactly what kind of pest is present, you can part your grass where there is damage and see if you spot any ovular, black bugs with white wings. Chinch bugs are very small though, so they can be tough to spot directly in grass. There are two tests you can perform that will isolate pests and help you to identify chinch bugs.

Flotation Test

Image Source: University of Georgia

For the flotation test, you need a container with two open ends, like a pipe or a can with one end cut off. Press and hold one end on the edge of a damaged patch of your lawn. Pour water into the opening to the brim and wait a few minutes. If there are chinch bugs, they will float to the surface.

Soapy Water Test

This test is similar to the flotation test, but without isolating a specific area. Mix a few tablespoons of dish soap with water and pour the water over a damaged part of your lawn. While your grass will be alright, chinch bugs will get irritated and rise to the top of the soap mixture so you can see them.

Getting Rid of Chinch Bugs

So you know that chinch bugs are the problem, but the question remains – how do you get rid of them? There are a few different methods you can apply, depending on the condition of your lawn and the severity of the problem.

Insecticide

Prevention of chinch bugs with a high quality insecticide is the best solution to avoiding summer damage from these insects altogether. However, if you don’t get a preventive product down at the appropriate time and you do end up with an infestation, there are some good products out there to take care of active chinch bugs. Some of the best active ingredients include imidacloprid and bifenthrin.

Neem Oil

For a greener approach, neem oil is a natural repellent and insecticide for chinch bugs. Neem oil contains azadirachtin, which interferes with chinch bugs growth and reproduction. It’s also thick enough to suffocate chinch bugs and repels them from your grass in the future.

If you want to use neem oil, find either a cold-press version or one labeled for insecticide use. Follow the instructions on your product, which will usually involve mixing it with water and spraying it evenly over the affected grass. This oil should be applied during the early morning or late afternoon to prevent it from evaporating in direct sunlight. You should also test neem oil on a small patch of healthy grass before application to make sure there are no adverse effects.

Plant Flowers that Attract Beneficial Bugs

Yes, fighting bugs with more bugs feels counterintuitive, but it works. Natural predators of chinch bugs, like lacewings and ladybugs, help to drive them away and halt their damage. Encouraging visits from beneficial bugs like these is the most sustainable solution and helps to prevent their return in the future. If you have a garden, ladybugs and lacewings both like dill plants and fennel. Ladybugs collect nectar from Calendula flowers, and also like marigolds and cosmos. Lacewings are attracted to Queen Anne’s lace.

Preventing Chinch Bugs

After you’ve made your applications (or planted flowers), it’s still important to review your lawn practices for the future. Chinch bug reinfestation is common and very likely if the conditions that attracted them are still present. If you’ve been recently infested, keep an eye on your lawn after treatment. Early prevention and identifying issues are important steps to make sure that you aren’t reinfested.

If you find that your lawn quickly dries out in the hot summer sun, make sure to water it and reduce these conditions. Dethatch your lawn regularly to avoid giving chinch bugs room to hide. Depending on your type of grass, check to see if you are mowing it too short. If it’s at an inappropriate height, this causes stress on the grass and leaves it more vulnerable in the future. If you think that your lawn is stressed or lacking nutrients, a fertilizer application could give it the boost it needs to grow stronger. When applying, make sure that you don’t overfertilize spots on your lawn, which will attract more pests and do more harm in the long run.

The Professionals to Call

If you can’t identify if it’s chinch bugs affecting your lawn, aren’t sure of the right pest control method, or if you’re looking for a fertilization plan that will help your lawn recover from an infestation, The Fertilizer Guy can help! We provide premier fertilization and pest control solutions across the College Station and Bryan areas. If you’re interested in our services or have more questions about your lawn, contact us today so we can help get rid of your chinch bug problem for good.