Chinch Bugs in St. Augustine Lawns
Chinch Bugs Love St. Augustine Grass
Chinch Bugs – Wherever St. Augustine grass grows in Texas; it is susceptible to Chinch Bugs. They are a significant concern for homeowners in Southlake, Euless and beyond. If you have St. Augustine grass and suspect that you have pests, then give us a call. We can quickly and accurately diagnose the problem, and then we can get your lawn back to health.
Chinch Bugs Cause Lots of Damage
Billions of dollars’ worth of damage occur to St. Augustine grass every year thanks to the Blissus insularis Barber, commonly called the chinch bug. Sometimes the damage caused by these pests is misdiagnosed as brown patch or drought. This only creates a delay in treating the real problem, so early identification and treatment are crucial if you want to bring this annoying issue under control with minimal damage.
Chinch Bugs Are Small
Chinch bugs are small. When full grown, they are about three-sixteenths of an inch in length. Their bodies are black, and their white wings feature a triangular-shaped black mark at the edge. Perhaps their most disturbing feature is their mouth, which is specially shaped for sucking. They attach themselves to the base of glass blades and feed voraciously. As is the case with many pests, chinch bugs are dormant in the winter but become active as temperatures warm up.
They can produce approximately three to five new generations each summer, enabling them to spread damage to your St. Augustine grass with surprising speed.
Chinch Bugs Identification
Most homeowners first notice a problem when they spot a circular brown patch in the midst of their lawn in middle or late summer. This is why the problem is often confused with the brown patch fungal disease. If you want to find out if your St. Augustine grass is infested with chinch bugs, try this trick. Cut both ends off of an empty coffee can, then push one end of the coffee can into the center of a dying brown patch. Fill the can with water, observing to see what floats to the surface. If you see small black bugs and larvae, then you may very well have a chinch bug infestation.
The other way you can know for sure that you have chinch bugs is by giving us a call. We can diagnose your chinch bug problem and devise a treatment method that will help you get rid of this infestation for good. We may broadcast a turf builder, remove excess thatch or suggest other remedies.