What is a Chinch Bug?

Chinch bugs are difficult to recognize in the grass because they change their appearance so often. They also have predators that control their populations naturally that look almost identical to Chinch bugs! Many times people will see a bug that looks like a Chinch Bug and apply a chemical to kill them, not realizing that they are actually killing the beneficial predator and ultimately making the problem worse! Chinch Bugs are attracted to stressed turf growing in hot sun. They suck a little juice out of the grass plant and inject their saliva into it which turns the grass brown. Most of the time, it will recover on its own with some extra watering.

Why do you have Chinch Bug Damage?

If you have chinch bug damage, it probably means that you have susceptible grasses and that your lawn was a little stressed out. Who can blame it in the hot summer anyway?

What can you do about Chinch Bug Damage?

You can fix just about any problem with seed, and if you use the right chinch bug-resistant grass seed that contains endophytes, (Tuff Turf and Easy Green both do) you shouldn’t have too many problems down the road. If you see chinch bugs, you can spread Insect Dust (Diatomaceous Earth) in the affected areas which should slow them down.