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The most difficult aspect of a well-maintained lawn is to keep it free from diseases and garden insects. With every changing season, you need to take up various measures to protect the lawn from harmful insects.

Chinch bugs are one of such garden insects that generally show up in the months of April. The lawn owners take prior measures to avoid the effects of the insect that generally results in drier conditions and may affect a large part of the lawn area.

Identifying the Chinch Bug

These bugs are generally identified with its physical features. A fully developed bug is approximately 4mm long. The young bugs are bright red in color while the adult bugs vary in color from dark red to brown.

It also consists of white wings and red legs. The band across the abdomen on a young nymph changes from white to black in color during its development.

Due to its small size, the bugs are hardly noticed. The initial signs of these bugs can be seen with large patches of dead grass enclosed by circular yellow spots.

It is very harmful to the lawn growth as it eats up the nutrients and moreover also leaves behind poison to kill the existing grass.

The Chinch Bug Management

Nowadays, there are a number of chinch bug management techniques available that help in its identification and complete elimination. Some of these include:

Well-watered lawn

One of the easiest ways to minimize the risk of expanding the dry patches of this insect is to well-water the lawn, especially during the droughty periods.

Additionally, you can also set the highest setting possible (between 2.5 to 3 inches) for the mower and mow the lawn.

Thatch control
Thatch removal is one of the other ways of dealing with the bug. Thatches are dead plant materials and are found in the grass plants.

These bugs are normally present in the thatches and also eliminate the effectiveness of the insecticides. Make sure to mow the lawn regularly. It is recommended to at least mow the lawn once a week that results in decreasing the thatch growth.

Biologically controlled measure
You can also use biologically control measures for the complete removal of bugs. These include insects like wasps, ants, small pirate bugs, spiders, etc. All these are termed as the predatory and parasitic enemies of the bug.

Pesticides
Pesticides are one of the less recommended options for cinch bug control in lawns. Since the lawn is a place for human activity and such pesticides are very harmful to humans. Some of the approved pesticides for bug control include organophosphate and carbaryl.

Before adopting any of the above-mentioned techniques, it is important to know the exact nature of the bug infecting your lawn. The cinch bugs generally affect the lawn during early summer and spring