IPM Steps to Reduce Chinch Bug

1. Sample for Pest

Confirm the presence of chinch bugs (Hairy Chinch Bug), Blissus hirtus before you treat.

Where to find cinch bugs while inspecting: Look for irregular, browning areas of turfgrass in sunny areas may prove to be chinch bug damage. Watch for adults in the thatch area of failing turfgrass where they feed on the lower stem and crown. This is also a good opportunity to sample with the “flotation method” using a tin coffee can. NOTE: Bigeyed bugs look very similar and are a beneficial insect often mistaken for chinch bugs. Bigeyed bugs are welcome in your turfgrass and landscape.

2. Proper ID

Are they chinch bugs? (See photo).

Size and Appearance: Adults are black with white markings on their wings and are only 1/5" long. Nymphs are miniature versions of adults, but do not have wings and have orange-red markings.

David Shetlar, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org.

3. Learn the Pest Biology

What is the life cycle of chinch bugs?

Life Cycle: Chinch bugs overwinter in protected areas such as leaf litter and along foundations. In spring, adults move into open areas and females begin to lay eggs, daily for about three weeks. Nymphs (small, wingless version of adults that are often red) begin to feed on turfgrass with sucking mouthparts over a period of 1–3 months depending on weather. There are usually two generations per year, so adults and nymphs overlap throughout the season.

Preferred Food Sources: Turfgrass stems and leaves.

Preferred Habitat: During the time they are causing damage, you will find them in the thatch portion of turfgrass area. Offseason, adults stay in protected areas of leaf litter.

4. Determine Threshold

How many chinch bugs are too many?

Threshold: In healthy turfgrass that receives irrigation during drought, a few chinch bugs can be tolerated. Presence of beneficials like ground beetles and bigeyed bugs may be able to keep the population to a level that will limit damage. Generally, 20–25 chinch bugs per square foot will result in visible damage to turfgrass.

5. Choose Tactics

Creating a healthy soil condition and understanding turfgrass needs is the first step in reducing this pest. What can I do to treat, reduce, or prevent chinch bugs?

Best Management Practices: Give your turfgrass optimal conditions to withstand pest pressure: maintain proper soil pH: 6.0 to 6.8 (test every 3–5 years). Fertilize at the proper time for turfgrass root development, primarily fall (late spring at times when turfgrass is weak and thin), irrigate if needed, mow at proper height (removing no more than 1/2 of the blade), amend poor soil, choose proper turfgrass seed for your conditions, buy quality seed, overseed thin spots in fall or early spring, and remove thatch. Select or introduce endophytic cultivars of perennial ryegrass or tall fescue if those grasses are appropriate for your particular field. Allow natural enemies (beneficial insects) to do their job and combat pests. Two biological control options are: introduction of the natural enemy bigeyed bug, and use of Beauveria bassiana, an entomophagous fungus.

Treatment Methods: There are insecticides available to reduce severe cinch bug populations. Consult a certified pesticide applicator with a working knowledge of IPM.

6. Evaluate

Was the tactic successful?

Record the date pests were first observed, and the tactic you used, and its success. Use one of the RECORD KEEPING tools available at https://www.northeastipm.org/.

Remember

When a pesticide application is determined to be needed, as part of a comprehensive IPM program, all required precautions must be taken to minimize risk to people, as well as the environment, and to minimize the risk of pesticide resistance or pest resurgence. Pesticide use may be prohibited or regulated by local policies or state and federal agencies. •

This article was produced by the New York State IPM Program of Cornell University, with funding from a Northeastern IPM Center Partnership Grant, in collaboration with the School IPM Working Group.