Photo courtesy of University of Nebraska, Dept of Entomology Chinch bugs are a red color with a white band in the nymph stage. They then change to black with a white band.

The adult chinch bug is black with white wings and a triangular black spot on each wing. This bug is known for the destruction it can cause to lawns, sucking the sap out of the bases of grass blades and causing discoloration.

Grass will have the same appearance as a lawn that is going through a dry spell, chanIn the garden the chinch bug creates similar problems.

Prevention: Keep the garden free of grass and weeds. Planting beans and corn together will reduce grass growth under the corn.

Chinch bugs cause serious damage in the thick turf of lawns and golf courses. Dying or dead areas of a lawn can signal the presence of this pest. Dry seasons seem to favor its spread and make its damage more noticeable. Chinch bugs tend to be more of a problem in southern Maine.

The chinch bug generally produces two generations per year after over-wintering in the adult stage in rubbish, crevices and thatch. The insect mates early in the season when the temperature reaches 70�F. The female lays eggs on roots, stems and leaves over a two to three week period. One female can lay as many as 500 eggs.

The newly hatched bugs--tiny, wingless, bright red nymphs-- feed by sucking juices from roots near or at the ground surface. The young bugs turn black as they rapidly grow larger. After 40 to 50 days of voracious feeding, they reach the mature stage and develop wings. The adult chinch bug is shaped like a flattened black and white capsule and is capable of flight. It is about 1/5 inch. Adults of the first brood usually move to a new area before mating and egg laying.

Chinch bugs do the greatest damage from mid-summer to early fall. The first generation starts to die in early fall. The second generation hibernates at the approach of cold weather in matted clippings and debris, or in loose soil near the root zone.

Management

A coffee can with both ends cut out can be used to detect the bug and the number present. Force one end of the can into the soil, fill with water, then watch for chinch bugs to float to the top.

Because they can fly, it is difficult to keep an area free of chinch bugs if they occur in nearby cropland. However, sanitation may reduce over-wintering sites. In addition, both liquid and granular forms of insecticides may be used. Many people prefer liquid spraying since the material must reach the crown area of the grass plant.