What are Chinch Bugs and when should I spray for them ?
Chinch Bugs are very tiny beatles that thrive on many lawns. The adult is a little black beetle about 1mm long and has two white spots on its back. There are several juvenile stages characterized by the very young orange beetle to the intermediate juvenile, which is brown and white. Chinch Bug infestations, unfortunately, usually go unnoticed until the damage done by these beetles is seen. Juvenile Chinch Bugs have a mouth part that enables them to “tap” into a blade of grass and suck out the fluid. This process dehydrates and eventually kills the blade of grass. Chinch Bugs control often begins in mid-June. At this time you may see adult Chinch Bugs, but the eggs of these adults usually dont hatch until early July. By spraying in mid-June you put the insecticide into the grass blade as the eggs hatch and the juveniles tap into grass blades to feed.
