How To Repair Lawn After Chinch Bug Damage
The Bug Backside Your Patchy, Brown Grass
Larn about the pests that are killing your lawn and send them packing—permanently!
Photograph: istockphoto.com
Q: Until this year, my tall fescue lawn has always been costly and green, but a few weeks ago, some yellow spots developed next to my driveway. Within a few days, the grass in those spots turned chocolate-brown and died. More spots are showing up now—and spreading quickly. My neighbor, who's having the same problem, says chinch bugs may be the crusade. I'd never heard of these pests! How can I get rid of them and restore my greenish lawn?
A: Sad to hear nearly your turf troubles, which very well might be a classic case of chinch bug damage. Fortunately, yous can banish the bugs and bring your lawn back to health. The common chinch bug (blissus leucopterus) is constitute nationwide, but normally at a charge per unit of less than x to xv bugs per square foot of lawn. In those numbers, they rarely cause problems because other insects, such as ants and ladybugs, feed on them and go along their population under control.
Farthermost rut and drought conditions, notwithstanding, can reduce the number of beneficial insects that prey on chinch bugs; when this occurs, chinch bugs populations tin apace multiply to more than 100 per square foot of lawn. Soon, the signs of chinch bug harm appear: yellow patches that plough brown and then die.
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The adult chinch issues is less than ¼-inch long, with often with a dark red to black torso, white wings, and a white dot on its back. Though found in all types of turfgrass, they do the near damage to warm-flavor species, such every bit alpine fescue, bermudagrass, bentgrass, zoysiagrass, and Kentucky bluegrass. They destroy past inserting their razor-precipitous beaks into a blade of grass and then sucking out its natural fluids, causing the grass to dehydrate and die.
Whatsoever fourth dimension you find xanthous patches of grass that turn brown and dice—especially in sunny spots during hot weather—information technology's probably chinch bug harm. Read on to larn how to stop the grass-killing issues in its tracks, and how to keep information technology from re-infesting your lawn in the time to come.
Photo: istockphoto.com
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Impale chinch bugs with broad-spectrum pesticide.
Almost turf-type pesticides will kill chinch bugs, but check the label to be sure. Apply a pesticide, such as BioAdvanced Complete Insect Killer for Soil and Turf (available from Amazon), to the turf following application instructions carefully. Many turf-blazon pesticides suggest mowing before treatment, and others may recommend watering the lawn thoroughly first.
Note that pesticides will impale chinch bugs but not their eggs, and so some products crave two separate applications: the showtime to impale existing bugs and a 2d, several weeks later, to kill whatever that hatched from eggs laid before the initial application. Other chemicals impart fourth dimension-released protection that remains in the turf for up to three months, effectively killing the existing bugs immediately, and then after killing whatever chinch bugs who later hatch.
Try diatomaceous earth for a chemical-free culling.
If you prefer an eco-friendly option, consider dusting the lawn with this natural product made from pulverized fossils. Diatomaceous world (DE), such every bit Harris Diatomaceous Earth (available from Amazon), is often added to livestock feed to rid the animals of internal parasites. While DE appears soft and powdery, its microscopic particles are razor precipitous and will pierce the bodies of insects that come into contact with it. DE is besides a desiccant, and then information technology causes the bugs that contact it to dehydrate and die, typically die within a few days.
To check if DE has done the trick, cutting the top and lesser from a coffee can and press information technology firmly into the ground about the edge of a yellowing spot. Fill the can with water and watch. Chinch bugs volition rise to the peak and you volition be able to see if they are expressionless or even so moving around. If you lot discover moving bugs, treat the lawn again with DE and test again in a few days. Residue DE that remains in the turf should take intendance of any tardily-hatching chinch bugs, but it won't hurt to reapply DE a few weeks subsequently to exist on the safe side.
Photograph: istockphoto.com
Reseed the spots left bare from chinch bug impairment.
Afterwards ridding the backyard of chinch bugs, reseed the patches. If you're using a two-application chemic treatment, you needn't wait until the second handling to reseed—you can reseed immediately later the initial dose of pesticide. Regular grass seed volition work, but for extra protection against further infestations, consider an endophyte-enhanced grass seed that matches the type of grass in your backyard, such as SeedRanch Falcon Tall Fescue (bachelor from Amazon). Endophyte-enhanced seeds—designed for bluegrass, ryegrass, and tall fescue lawns—contain properties that assistance them repel both insect harm and fungal diseases.
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Dethatch your lawn annually to keep information technology healthy.
Strong, healthy lawns are less likely to autumn prey to chinch bug damage so information technology's wise to remove the thick mat of dead grass that forms at the base of operations of blades known as thatch. A dense layer of thatch prevents air and sunlight from reaching the lesser of the grass blade, which weakens the overall wellness of the lawn. Leap is the all-time time to dethatch, and yous can rent a landscaping visitor to do it or do it yourself with a yard-size dethatcher, such as Greenworks 14-Inch Corded Dethatcher (available from Amazon).
Cut no more than one-third of the grass blade when yous mow.
While mowing keeps your backyard looking smoothen and lush, cutting more than ane-third of the grass blade stresses the backyard, which weakens information technology and makes it more prone to future infestations. This may mean you need to mow the yard twice a week rather than just one time during times of vigorous growth, which unremarkably occur in jump and during rainy seasons.
Follow proficient backyard care practices to ward off future chinch bug impairment.
The healthier the lawn, the more beneficial insects it will comprise—and therefore the more difficult for chinch bugs to gain the upper hand. Starting in early leap, fertilize the lawn every two months with all-purpose lawn fertilizer, and continue fertilizing until the grass goes dormant in late autumn. Lawns should receive a minimum of one inch of h2o per week, and information technology's better to water securely at 1 fourth dimension rather than sprinkling lightly throughout the week. During periods of intense estrus and drought, you may need to water more than than once per week.
Need a hand?
Some jobs are improve left to the pros. Receive free, no-commitment estimate from licensed backyard service professionals near you.
Source: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/chinch-bug-damage/
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