A large number of home owners would like to have excellent lawns. However, most usually find it very difficult to grow a lawn in such a manner that it turns out to be pristine, particularly if they don’t get the right help in doing so. When you are growing a lawn, there are many things that you need to watch out for since they can damage the lawn, one of which is the presence of bugs.
There are many species of bugs that have the capacity to damage the grass and make it less likely to grow in an even manner. One that many people have a huge problem with is the chinch bugs. Though chinch bugs are very tiny, they can wreak a lot of havoc in any lawn. This is particularly painful if you have spent a lot of time and money on the lawn, only to find it eaten away by these bugs. You will need to come up with a very carefully designed strategy to get rid of them if you notice them in your lawn.
What are chinch bugs?
Chinch bugs are bugs that are usually dark in color when adults, and usually have dotted white wings. They are usually about an eighth of an inch long when fully grown. They have sucking mouth parts which enable them to feed on the turf in any lawn.
Where are they likely to be found?
Chinch bugs are likely to be found in areas that have a rich supply of their food, which is turf. Some of the grass species that these insects prefer include perennial ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass as well as zoysiagress. This means that if you have a lawn that has these types of grass, it would be a good idea to be on the lookout for them so that you can get rid of them as soon as you notice them. The fact that the adult forms have a dark color means that it will be easy for you to spot them in the lawn, as long as you simply inspect it on a regular basis.
When are these bugs most active?
As is the case with other types of pests, there are certain times of the year when the chinch bugs are most active. In many parts of the world, the chinch bugs are usually most active during the summer. This means that if you are to look out for them, it would be wise to do so during this time of year.
Preventing them from damaging the lawn
If you have toiled to come up with a lawn that looks as green as a golf course, having all this effort destroyed by the bugs can be pretty disappointing. Fortunately, there are ways of mitigating the problem before it occurs. One of the most effective ways of doing this is by simply caring for the lawn properly. Things such as proper watering and the use of the correct fertilizer on the lawn will make it lush and healthy. Even if the chinch bugs somehow infest the lawn, they are likely to do much less damage in a healthy lawn since it will simply regenerate.
In addition to that, you might also need to keep checking for them. This will give you an opportunity to spot the chinch bug infestation way before it becomes a major problem. This in turn means that you will end up spending less time and money getting rid of them. If you are not able to do this for any reason, you can simply ask a landscaper to do it for you. Most of them are very good at spotting the signs of a chinch bug infestation.
What if you notice chinch bugs?
Suppose you notice that the lawn has been infested by the chinch bugs, and you are interested in ways of getting rid of them. In such cases, trying to get rid of them on your own might not be a good idea particularly if you are not very sure about what you are doing. Remember, there are some insecticides that might be marketed for this types of use, but which might end up damaging the rest of the lawn and even killing other insects other than the chinch bugs. Some are also very toxic and might prove to be harmful to you and your family members.
To avoid having to deal with all such issues, you should consider getting a landscaper to sort out the problem for you. The fact that they understand the chinch bugs more than anyone else means that they are likely to devise a more effective strategy for getting rid of them without risking damage to any other part of the lawn.
In summary, the presence of chinch bugs on your lawn can be very detrimental to the looks of the lawn. However, as long as you keep the above in mind, you should not have a hard time preventing them from damaging it.
