1. Chinch Bugs Chapter 1 Section VI of the Pest Bear & Affiliates Service Personnel Development Program 2005

2. Southern Chinch Bugs While the Southern Chinch Bug is the most serious pest of St Augustine grasses, it not a serious pest of any other grasses. Their life cycle will vary depending on the area of the State: In North Florida the eggs hatch in late April and they have 3-4 generations each year In South Florida the eggs begin hatching in February and they may have 7 generations each year Copyright @ 2005-2006, Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

3. Life Cycle Chinch Bugs have a gradual metamorphosis Egg Nymph - 5 molts Adult The first instar nymphs are about the size of the head of a pin and bright red in color with a white band across the back Older nymphs and adults are about 1/5 “ long and black Adults have white wings contrasting a black body All stages, except the egg stage, damage the grass Copyright @ 2005-2006, Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

4. Feeding Habits Chinch Bugs damage St Augustine grass by sucking the plant juices from the stems Chinch Bug damage first appears as yellowish or brownish patches in the lawn Damaged areas are often found in water stressed areas along the outer edges of the lawn Chinch Bug damage is particularly apparent during periods of drought Copyright @ 2005-2006, Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved Do Not Assume Yellowing is Chinch Bugs - It could be nutritional or disease related

5. Use of Cultural Practices Studies have shown that certain cultural practices can drastically reduce the need for pesticide applications for the control of Chinch Bugs Some cultural practices are Do not mow St Augustine lower than 3” Keeping the mower blade sharp Irrigate with 3/4” of water and do not rewater until wilting is noted Fertilize only following a soil test and apply fertilizer designed for your grass Copyright @ 2005-2006, Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

6. Controlling Chinch Bugs Requires Monitoring Inspect the lawn regularly, weekly is recommended but not necessarily practical Look for off-color areas, particularly in areas that are not shaded or are along walks or driveways Visual inspection is necessary and requires parting the grass the find and identify the nymphs and adults Examine the base of the grass next to the soil When heavy infestations occur, Chinch Bugs can often be seen crawling on grass blades and sidewalks Copyright @ 2005-2006, Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

7. Using a Water Float to Find Chinch Bugs Use a 2-3 pound coffee can with both ends cut out Push 2-3” into the soil at the margin of the yellowed area You may need to cut through the roots Fill the can with water If present, the Chinch Bugs will float to the top in about 5 minutes May need to add water to keep the level above the grass Check all suspected areas Copyright @ 2005-2006, Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

8. Resistant Varieties of St Augustine Floratam, Floralawn and Floratine varieties of St Augustine offer varying degrees of Chinch Bug Resistance (the resistance factor of these grasses has been greatly limited in recent years) Floratam and Floralawn provide true antibiosis, the Chinch Bugs do not develop while feeding on them Floratine is only tolerant to reduced infestations Do Not Assume Yellowing is Chinch Bugs - It could be nutritional or disease related Copyright @ 2005-2006, Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

9. Using Pesticides for Control Pesticides should not be applied unless a high level of infestations, 20-25 Chinch Bugs per square foot has been noted Since residual treatments are basically non-effective in controlling Chinch Bugs, spot treatments are recommended. Treat the infested areas and a 5 foot buffer around the target area Apply the treatment as needed or biweekly until the infestation is controlled. Treat the entire yard when a severe infestation is noted Copyright @ 2005-2006, Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved

10. Chinch Bugs and Resistance In some areas of Florida, Chinch Bugs are resistant to organo-phosphate and carbamate insecticides Resistance has been enhanced by misapplications of pesticides and the Chinch Bugs tremendous reproductive potential Where resistance has occurred, synthetic pyrethrins should be applied Copyright @ 2005-2006, Central Fla Duplicating, Inc. All rights reserved