Chinch Bugs in St. Augustine Grass?

How to Prevent and Treat Chinch Bugs in St. Augustine Grass

Call 281-431-7441 for more information about chinch bugs.  In the video, Houston Grass Owner Michael Romine talks about chinch bugs in St. Augustine grass — how to prevent chinch bugs, where they typically attack your grass, and how to kill chinch bugs.

How to Prevent and Treat Chinch Bugs in St. Augustine Grass

Summary of Chinch Bugs in St. Augustine Grass.

Chinch bugs are a problem with Raleigh St. Augustine. Chinch bugs are little black bugs. They look like gnats and if you’ve got them, the damage they cause may look like a hot spot in your yard. It may look like a place that hasn’t got much water.

Chinch Bugs
Prevent Chinch Bug damage by Identifying them early

Usually where some concrete intersects, say a sidewalk and a driveway, the heat radiates off that corner in your grass and creates a hot spot or drought-stressed area. I find chinch bugs in places like that all the time.

Chinch bugs start in those areas because of all the concrete around. The concrete is hot during the Texas summer and the grass around the concrete dries out. The chinch bugs are looking for drought-stressed grass.

The problem with chinch bugs is they’re feeding on the grass and when they bite, they inject the toxin in the grass. They can wipe out the grass in an area real fast.

Treating Chinch Bugs Starts with Spotting Them

They’re really easy to control if you spot them early and then treat them. At Houston Grass we carry a liquid insecticide that does a great job in killing chinch bugs.

I like the liquids because you spray them out on the affected areas and it kills the chinch bugs in a big hurry. You can stop them from doing more damage. We carry Cyonara Lawn & Garden, which is a liquid you can apply to your lawn with a hose.

But spotting on them early on in your lawn and being aware is very important. Look for them in the heat of the summer — June, July, and August — that’s usually when you have to be on the lookout for them. We have a video to help you identify chinch bug damage in your lawn.

Prevent Chinch Bug Damage with Watering

So usually the best way to keep them at bay is doing the one inch waterings per week. If we’re not getting help from Mother Nature, you need to water that one inch per week to prevent chinch bugs from getting started.

If you’re doing your two waterings per week or if you got an irrigation system watering two to three times a week, you should be in good shape. Keeping a good moisture level in that grass is real important to keep the chinch bugs out, because again they’re looking for that drought-stressed grass.

If you have questions about chinch bugs and St. Augustine grass in planning your next lawn project, please call us at 281-431-7441 today!  

The turfgrass research program at Texas A&M is world-famous, and one of the goals of the program is to educate Texans about turfgrass.  The Aggieturf website associated with this program provides photos and additional information to help you identify and treat insect damage in your lawn.  

Houston Grass Has the Products You Need to Treat Chinch Bugs

We carry the lawn care products you need to prevent and treat chinch bugs and other lawn pests. Call our office at 281-431-7441 to make sure we have exactly what you need.

Our office is located in Arcola, just off of Highway 6 on McKeever Road and just a few miles east of Sienna. Stop by the check our sample plots of grass and barefoot test the grass if you’d like.

You can order your grass and pick it up at our office. We keep Raleigh St. Augustine at our office if you just need small quantities. If you need larger quantities or any of our other varieties, please call us at 281-431-7441 to order your grass. We’ll harvest your grass and deliver it to the office or to your project site. We can also install your grass for you.

Get the Products to Kill Chinch Bugs & the Grass to Repair any Damage

Call 281-431-7441 for help getting what you need to kill the chinch bugs and repair any damage to your lawn.

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