How to Control Florida Chinch Bugs
- 1). Lift up areas of affected grass and examine the bottom leaf sheath for the bugs themselves or signs of feeding. You can also run a small hand-held vacuum cleaner near the damaged areas of grass and then examine the contents of the receptacle for the bugs or the nymphs. The most common type in Florida is the southern chinch bug, which is about 1/10 to 1/8 inch long, with black body and white wings. The nymphs are reddish-orange with a white band across the back. Chinch bugs suck the juices out of leaves and roots and inject a chemical in the grass plant that clogs the plant's vascular system.
- 2). Use proper mowing techniques to prevent excessive thatch buildup that provide breeding places for chinch bugs. Remove no more than 35 to 40 percent of the leaf blade when mowing, according to Texas A&M University entomologists M.E. Merchant and R. L. Crocker.
- 3). Remove thatch buildup when it reaches a level of 1-inch thick; use a vertical mower available at equipment rental stores. It occurs when dead plant matter does not break down quickly enough through the action of soil microbes. This buildup prevents the healthy rooting of new grass plants and can lead to dry, dead patches that harbor lawn pests.
- 4). Aerate the lawn surface either by manual or mechanical methods to increase air and water circulation.
- 5). Irrigate the lawn regularly, especially during periods of drought. Chinch bugs prefer a hot, dry environment, so water lawns regularly, but do not overwater. Use chinch bug resistant varieties of grass whenever possible.
- 6). Apply a natural predator that will feed on the chinch bugs and control the population. . Biological methods to control chinch bugs include the use of big-eyed bugs, Georcoris spp., ants, and minute pirate bugs, Xylocoris spp. These are available at garden centers and through lawn care supply stores.
- 7). Apply a chemical insecticide to kill the bugs and nymphs only as a last resort if natural predators do not control the problem. A number of chemical pesticides are available for use in managing chinch bugs. Diazinon, chlorpyrifos and acephate are commonly recommended. Synthetic pyrethroid insecticides like permethrin are also used.
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