Is your lawn looking brown, patchy and dead? While you may think drought is destroying your grass, it could actually be chinch bugs. Chinch bugs are a common pest insect found throughout the United States. These bugs feed on the grass’s fluid and in return, injects a toxin that causes the grass to die. As they continue to reproduce and feed, those brown patches can quickly consume your entire lawn.
How Do Chinch Bugs Thrive?
Chinch bugs prefer sunlight and warmth; which makes Florida their ideal environment. They thrive in the sunniest parts of your lawn where it is hot and dry. South Florida grasses, such as St. Augustine and zoysia grass, are a favorite of these little bugs providing them with thick, lush thatch to feed and lay their eggs.
How Do You Identify a Chinch Bug?
If your lawn has dry brown spots, that should be your first indication that chinch bugs have possibly invaded. Unfortunately, these bugs are hard to see in the grass due to their small size. Adult chinch bugs grow to only 1/5 of an in long and are black bodied with white and black wings that overlap. If you want to identify them yourself, you may need to use a magnifying glass to see these tiny pests!
Chinch Bug Treatment
The best way to treat your lawn for chinch bugs is to contact your lawn care professional to do an inspection and provide a insect control treatment plan. They may recommend liquid or pelletized lawn chemicals to kill off the infestation, stop their breeding cycle, and drive them away from your yard. This type of treatment should always be performed by a professional. Over treatment can damage the lawn and under treatment could leave the bugs more resistant to the chemicals.
Contact a Professional
The first step to bringing your lawn back to life after a chinch bug infestation is to contact your lawn care professional. East Coast Sprayers will inspect your Palm Beach County lawn for free and provide you with an estimate to control your chinch bug outbreak!
