Identification

• The southern chinch bug is common in the southern states, such as Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. Adult chinch bugs are black, oval in shape and measure 1/6 inch in length. Females live approximately two months and lay many eggs in their lifetime. Chinch bug nymphs mature within four to five weeks and are orange and white. This pest feeds on St.Augustine grass, extracting plant juices from grass blades with its piercing beak.
  
  

Effects

• Chinch bugs tend to congregate in one area of the lawn, with dead patches of grass slowly enlarging. These pests feed on lawn grass, moving on to neighboring yards to continue feeding. Chinch bug damage occurs near the soil's surface and is most common in sunny areas near driveways. St. Augustine grass infested with chinch bugs turns yellow, grows slowly and becomes rusty colored before it dies. New feeding damage is usually apparent in May or June.
  
  

Types

• Southern chinch bugs favor St. Augustine grass, and have been found in several different varieties, including Common, Bitterblue, Floralawn, Floratam, Floratine, Delmar, Palmetto and Jade. Chinch bugs are also found in other types of lawn grass including centipedegrass, bahiagrass, bermudagrass and zoysiagrass. There are no cultivars of St. Augustine grass that are resistant to southern chinch bug infestation.
  
  

Control

• Avoid using nitrogen rich fertilizers on St. Augustine grass, as this encourages southern chinch bug infestations. Overwatering can cause St. Augustine grass to develop a thick thatch, which also promotes infestations of many lawn grass pests. There are several species of natural predatory insects that feed on chinch bugs, keeping their numbers low. Parasitic wasps and spiders are two predatory insects that keep chinch bugs under control. Insecticides are available at your local garden center for the treatment of chinch bugs in St. Augustine grass. Treatment is considered successful if chinch bugs populations are decreased by 80 percent in a lawn.