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Southern Chinch Bugs
Southern Chinch Bugs
Southern Chinch bugs are a primary insect pest on St. Augustine lawns. They can be found in states such as Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and South Carolina. This tiny insect pest, less than ¼ inch in length, is responsible for millions of dollars in damage to home lawns throughout the south where St. Augustine grows. It is most active during the warm, humid periods of the year, but can be active even during the winter months, although at a much slower rate. Once the weather begins to warm up, they will start feeding close to where they stopped the previous year.
Damage is usually seen is circular patches in the warmer parts of the lawn, along driveways or sidewalks. They often feed in a group, sucking out the plant juices, leaving the plant withered and dead. Once they are done with one plant, they move on to the next and so on. When populations increase to high levels, the adults can be seen running across grass blades during the day.
Good cultural controls and proper fertilization are keys to controlling Southern Chinch bugs. Water only when the plant begins to wilt – when the blades begin to roll up. Deep, infrequent watering is the best method by supplying 1 inch of water every 7 to 10 days. Mow at 1½ to 2 inches. Supply no more than 1 to 2 pounds of nitrogen fertilization per year. Annual core aeration is also a requirement to keep thatch levels down. In severe cases, the use of an insect control product may be necessary and may require more than one or two applications to achieve complete control.