#Chinch bugs how to#
#Chinch bugs full#
#Chinch bugs professional#

Thatch is a particular concern since chinch bugs thrive in heavy thatch. Start with good lawn careīefore you reach for a chemical, make sure you are giving your lawn the care it needs to thrive.

Or, ask if your state has a plant-pest diagnostic lab that will diagnose garden pests. Ask your local Cooperative Extension Office to help.

#Chinch bugs professional#

Unless you’re a professional entomologist, you might need help to identify your bug. Here are the steps to take to get rid of chinch bugs in your lawn.

#Chinch bugs how to#

How to get rid of chinch bugs in your lawnĬhinch bug infestations need to be addressed ASAP once you start to see the damage. If you count 15-25 bugs per square foot, it’s a good idea to treat this chinch bug problem.If you don’t see any bugs in the first section of lawn, try a few other sections along the perimeter of the dead/living grass.Keep the water level above the soil surface for the duration of the test. Wait 5 minutes and count the number of chinch bugs that appear. Use your garden hose or a large bucket of water and fill the container with water.A trowel or small shovel may help with this. Press the can into the soil so that it stands on its own, about 2-3 inches. Cut both ends off of a large tin coffee can or another cylinder container.(Once chinch bugs eat one section of lawn, they keep pressing outward to find new grass to eat and are most likely to be on the edge of brown and green grass.) Choose a section of grass that is on the edge of healthy grass and brown turf.Sometimes called the “coffee can test” or “flotation method,” this is a simple test that any homeowner can do: An easy way to identify chinch bugs in your lawn is to do a drench test. To know for sure, you’ll need to see the bugs for yourself.

#Chinch bugs full#

Infestations start in full sun or warm areas of your lawn, often next to pavement, driveways, or sidewalks that radiate heat to the adjacent grass.

Your attempts to water seem to have no effect as brown, dead grass areas continue to expand rapidly into the entire lawn.

The lawn starts to yellow but may quickly turn brown or straw-colored.

How to identify chinch bug damageĬhinch bug damage may look something like this: As true bugs, chinch bugs have mouth parts that suck their food (aka the liquids in your grass) through a proboscis, which is a straw-like appendage at the front of their head.

How to prevent chinch bugs in your lawnĬhinch bugs are insects that have become a major lawn pest for homeowners across the country.

How to get rid of chinch bugs in your lawn.

We have the knowledge you need on what these pests are and how to effectively disrupt their lifecycle in your lawn. What’s a homeowner to do? Thankfully, there are ways to prevent and get rid of damaging chinch bugs in your lawn. In a matter of days, a large infestation of chinch bugs can march through your lawn and leave nothing behind.