Summertime Pest Treatment Series: Chinch Bugs 

What Are Chinch Bugs?

Chinch bugs look like little black gnats with a little white spot on its back crawling all over your lawn. Chinch bugs like to feed on turf that is experiencing drought or heat, so it is incredibly common for a chinch bug infestation to begin in the parts of your lawn that are near concrete because of the heat radiation. If you are inspecting your lawn for chinch bugs, look in the green patches of grass rather than the damaged areas. Once they kill one area they move on to the next, so they are most commonly identified in areas of the lawn that may still look healthy for now. 

Chinch feed on heat-stressed turf by sucking out all of the nutrients of the turf, leaving behind patches that look as if they have been turned into hay. Catching and treating a chinch bug infestation quickly is important for the survival of your lawn. If an infestation has become too vast, it may be necessary to replace all of your turf. 

Signs of Infestation

To identify a chinch bug infestation, pour a bucket of soapy water over top the infected area, as well as the healthy areas surrounding the damage. The chinch bugs should quickly become visible after getting drawn out of hiding by the soapy water. Two great treatments for a chinch bug infestation are the ‘Cyonara liquid insecticide’ and the ‘Nitro-phos bug out max’. Follow the instructions on the packaging of your treatment of choice to insure proper application.