Chinch Bugs

Summer is upon us and with that comes irrigation problems running rampant. However, many forget that a little pest, chinch bugs, can wreak havoc on a lawn. These small creatures are only 1/6 of an inch long and can be hard to spot and diagnose. They begin appearing in late June into September depending on the weather. Chinch bugs love hot, dry weather. An easy way to detect chinch bugs is to get a piece of large PVC pipe or a can with the tops taken off and push it down hard into your grass so that it reaches the soil. Then fill the pipe or can with water, if you have chinch bugs, they will float to the water's surface. They have white wings and are about the size of 2 grains of rice. The best chemical to use on Chinch is Bifenthrin as a blanket application, which is included in our TurfStar Buginator. If you have any questions contact our turf staff or your local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agency.

-Erik Bronstad, Landscaping and Turf Specialist