Knowing how to repair chinch bug damage is vital to the health and visual appeal of your lawn. To do it, identify the bugs correctly, eliminate them entirely, dethatch the lawn, test and amend the soil, aerate, overseed or sod damaged areas, water the grass correctly, and maintain the turf year-round.
What are chinch bugs?
Chinch bugs are tiny (around ⅕ of an inch), oval, sap-loving insects that can cause costly damage to your lawn. Nymphs are red with a white band across their back, but they turn black and develop white wings as they become adults. The wings have a characteristic triangle-shaped black mark and lay flat on their back.
These pests prefer hot, sunny, dry environments and grasses such as:
When at their most active, chinch bugs cause various forms of damage to your lawn, including:
- Purple-reddish leaf blade margins
- Grass yellowing, browning, and wilting in patches
- Stunted grass growth
- Increased weed presence
Native to North America, chinch bugs thrive in the southern United States, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Texas. They can also extend to the Midwest, the northeastern states, and southern Canada.
Steps to repair chinch bug damage
If chinch bugs have infiltrated your lawn, follow these steps to nurse your grass back to health:
1. Identify the chinch bugs
Beyond recognizing chinch bug damage, which can often be confused with drought damage, it’s important to spot the actual insects. There are a couple of ways you can do that.
- The flotation test: Push an open-ended cylindrical can into the soil of the damaged area. Fill the can with water, stir the submerged grass, and wait 5 to 10 minutes. If you have chinch bugs, they’ll float to the surface. Count them. Any number above 15 per square foot will require you to treat your lawn.
- The magnifying glass and paper test: Part the grass and use a magnifying glass to look for the pests. Alternatively, lay some white paper on the border of a brown, dead spot in your lawn. Pull out a few clumps of dead grass and shake them out on the paper. If present, the bugs will fall out.
Chinch bugs like the heat, so you’ll likely see them out and about in the morning and early afternoon. The adults typically sit on grass blades and gather around patios, fences, and foundation walls, while the nymphs like to hide in thatch layers.
Pro tip: If you’re not sure you have chinch bugs, contact your local Cooperative Extension Office for guidance.
2. Eliminate chinch bugs completely
Get rid of all chinch bugs before repairing the affected lawn. Treat for them during their active growing season, which is from late spring to late summer, when it’s warm and sunny.
While chinch bugs resist many common pesticides, broad-spectrum products containing bifenthrin, trichlorfon, or carbaryl can help eliminate them. Always handle insecticides carefully; if misused, they can harm you, your children, or your pets.
Another option is to use less toxic options to control chinch bugs, including:
- Diatomaceous earth (DE)
- Insecticidal soap that ideally has the OMRI label for organic certification. OMRI stands for Organic Materials Review Institute, an international non-profit organization that determines which products are appropriate for organic use.
- Neem oil
If that fails, introduce beneficial nematodes and natural predators such as ladybugs, big-eyed bugs, earwigs, and spiders, into your yard.
Last, take a heavy-duty vacuum with strong suction to small chinch bug populations. This method works best in concentrated areas but requires careful handling to avoid damaging the grass.
3. Dethatch the lawn
Dethatching your lawn regularly is vital to prevent chinch bug hiding spots. Thatch protects chinch bugs from predators and weather, making it a safe hiding place. It’s also dense, warm, and moist, which helps them breed and lay eggs.
While you’re at it, also remove debris, rocks, weeds, and other vegetation from damaged areas to expose the soil and create a clean, open space for new grass growth without competition.
4. Test and amend the soil
Take this opportunity to test your soil and determine soil pH and nutrient levels. You can acquire a testing kit from a garden store or contact your agricultural extension office for professional testing services. If you’re sending the samples out for testing:
- Collect soil samples from the entire area you want to repair
- Remove any visible debris
- Spread the samples on some newspaper to dry
- Break up clumps
- Place the samples in airtight containers and label them clearly with information such as location and depth
- Store the sample containers in a dry, cool place until they’re ready to be sent to the lab
Depending on the soil test report, amend your soil as needed. Add lime or sulfur to adjust pH levels, use organic matter to improve texture, and apply fertilizer for nutrients.
5. Aerate the soil
For dense or compacted soil, consider core aeration. Using a core aerator, remove small plugs of soil to improve compaction and allow air, nutrients, and water to penetrate the root zone efficiently.
Next, level the soil surface to achieve an even lawn and prevent low spots where water can collect. Rake up any soil plugs resulting from aeration. If necessary, use topsoil or compost to fill uneven areas.
6. Overseed or sod the damaged area
Damaged areas can benefit from new seed or sod to grow back strong. Always choose a grass type that matches the existing lawn and is appropriate for your region. To overseed your lawn (spread new seed):
- Mow the lawn: A couple of days before overseeding, mow the lawn about 1 ½ to 2 inches tall to help with seed-to-soil contact and expose the soil to more sunlight. This contributes to faster germination. Bag your grass clippings, and don’t leave any debris behind.
- Distribute the seeds: Use a spreader to distribute your grass seed evenly and follow the seeding rates suggested on the label. Broadcast spreaders are excellent for overseeding large lawns, while drop spreaders work best in small areas. Exception: St. Augustine lawns are best repaired using regular sod or plugs (small pieces of sod with roots). Seeding is rare because the grass doesn’t grow well from seed.
- Overlap your passes: To prevent gaps, overlap each pass slightly as you spread the grass seed.
- Change seeding direction: For the best results, apply half of the grass seed in one direction and the rest in a perpendicular direction.
- Rake lightly: Following seed application, lightly rake the topsoil with a garden rake to help the seed settle in.
- Provide immediate after-care: Water and fertilize your new lawn. Lay down mulch such as straw or moss to help retain moisture, protect the seeds from birds and pests, and control erosion. Keep off the lawn for a few weeks while the seeds germinate.
7. Water the lawn correctly
Give your grass between 1 and 1.5 inches of water per week. A sprinkler system can provide the right amount of water and cover a large area faster. Plus, most irrigation systems have rain or moisture sensors that automatically interrupt irrigation when rainfall occurs, lowering your chances of over- or under-watering.
If your lawn has poor drainage, consider installing French drains or regrading the slope to prevent waterlogging.
8. Maintain a healthy lawn
Proper year-round lawn care is well worth the effort. It keeps your grass healthy, helps it withstand various environmental stressors, and repels pests and diseases. Incorporate the following tasks into your routine:
- Fertilize your lawn: When feeding your lawn, stick to the recommended schedule for your grass type. Generally, cool-season grasses need fertilizer in the fall to protect the roots and help them survive the colder winter months. Warm-season grasses benefit from fertilization in late spring to early summer (after greening up), but you can also fertilize in the fall.
- Control weeds: Know which weeds grow in your area and when. Choose an herbicide formulated for the target weeds.
- Mow properly: Stick to the recommended height for your grass type, and try not to remove more than one-third of the grass blades. Mowing below the recommended height can put unnecessary stress on your grass and attract diseases, weeds, and pests. Follow these mowing tips and tricks.
FAQ about repairing chinch bug damage
What’s the difference between seed and sod?
You can successfully grow the lawn of your dreams with both sod and grass seeds. Ultimately, the choice between the two depends on the grass type, your time for lawn care, budget, and personal preferences. Take a look at the main characteristics of each:
Using seeds:
- Seeds are more cost-effective, especially if you’re seeding a larger area. You can purchase in bulk, plant them yourself, and save on labor costs.
- You have a larger variety of cultivars.
- Establishing a lawn with seeds takes between a few weeks to a month from germination to establishment.
- Weeds may be a bigger threat to seeded areas, especially during the establishment phase.
Using sod:
- Installing sod gives you an instant lawn, as it consists of mature grass.
- Sod can prevent soil erosion better.
- Sod suppresses weed growth by forming a dense turf from the start and reducing the space available for weeds to push through.
- Sod is more expensive than grass seeds, and the costs can add up quickly if you have a large yard. Consider labor costs when it comes to installing sod.
- Grass types are limited with sod.
What are some good indicators that my lawn is recovering?
Healthy new grass growth, little or no pest activity, and no more yellow or brown patches indicate your grass is recovering. Recovery time varies, but it typically takes several weeks to a few months, depending on the level of damage.
Should I overseed the entire lawn or just the affected areas?
Start by overseeding the affected areas, but consider overseeding the entire lawn later to establish a thick, vibrant lawn overall. If chinch bugs have completely ruined your lawn, overseeding the entire area will no longer be optional but necessary.
Get rid of bugs and get your lawn back
Chinch bugs can cause costly damage to your lawn, and sometimes starting from scratch is the only course of action.
Want a lush, stunning lawn without the work? You have choices. A pest control professional can handle the pest removal, while a lawn care expert can oversee your lawn’s rehabilitation to maximize its potential. Why not tackle this problem the right way?
- Main Photo Credit: Clarissa Balbalian | Mississippi State University | Bugwood.org
