DOES your St. Augustine lawn have patches that don’t respond to fertilizer or water? The problem may be not dryness or lack of nutrients. It might be chinch bugs in St Augustine grass. Chinch bugs seem small from afar but can cause significant damage to your St Augustine grass.
Because of their tiny size, it’s difficult to spot them on your lawn. For this reason, you need to treat your yard proactively to keep it chinch-bug-free. So, here is what you must know about chinch bugs in St Augustine.
You can identify the infestation of chinch bugs in St Augustine grass by seeing enlarging and irregular dead turf patches. These islands of yellowing, stunted, or dying grass keep expanding and merging as these insects multiply.
Sometimes it’s challenging to control these pests as they hatch and multiply rapidly, and most become resistant to pesticides. In this case, you must choose the best treatment to prevent more St. Augustine chinch bug damage.
What Are St. Augustine Chinch Bugs?
Chinch bugs are tiny black insects that attack St Augustine grass, mainly in North America. However, the pests also occasionally affect Zoysia, Bermuda, Centipede, and Bahia grass.
The four types of these insects are; the common chinch bug, the western, the hairy, and the southern chinch bugs. The southern chinch bug is popular for severely damaging turf grass worldwide.
Identifying and managing its infestation early is critical to keeping your lawn healthy and chinch bug-free.
But the most important concern for now is; what kills chinch bugs in St Augustine grass.
Related: How to Bring Dead Grass Back to Life in the Summer
How to Treat Chinch Bugs in St Augustine Grass
If you’re stressed about how to kill chinch bugs in St Augustine grass, read the following part to learn how to get rid of Chinch bugs in St Augustine grass.
1. Chemical Treatment
Chinch bugs damage St Augustine grass rapidly and severely as they keep multiplying every few weeks. Fortunately, you can eliminate them and other pests using an insecticide.
The most recommended insecticide is bifenthrin, but it may not help much in extreme infestations. So, in this case, use trichlorfon or its equivalent, the best chinch bug killer St Augustine grass.
Other best chinch bug killer St Augustine grass insecticides include carbaryl, triazicide, dylox, and bifen L/p. Read the instructions in the products carefully before applying the solution or granules to your lawn.
2. Cultural Treatment
You can also prevent more St Augustine chinch bug damage without insecticides by doing a few things.
NB. Chinch bugs in St Augustine flourish in untidy, thatch, dry, and hot environments. Therefore, it’s helpful to do the following to keep your grass chinch bug-free;
- Water your lawn frequently during hot periods
- Remove all thatch in your lawn by raking it periodically
- Keep your lawn tidy by mowing frequently
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What kills chinch bugs in St Augustine grass?
A: You can kill chinch bugs in St. Augustine grass by spraying the lawn with Ortho Bugclear Lawn Insect Killer. This formula controls and kills chinch bugs in St Augustine grass and acts as a bug barrier for three months. Other insecticides that can help prevent St Augustine chinch bug damage include bifenthrin, trichlorfon, carbaryl, triazicide, dylox, and bifen L/p.
Also read: Why is Grass Turning Yellow After Fertilizing?
Q: How do you fix St. Augustine grass from chinch bug damage?
A: The first thing you do to fix your destroyed St Augustine lawn is to remove the dead patches. Then, do soil aeration to allow oxygen to flow into the ground. Apply a layer of topsoil to give your new grass essential nutrients.
Fertilize the damaged area with a starter fertilizer and reseed using St. Augustine grass seeds or sod. Finally, water the lawn at least twice daily until it matures.
Conclusion
Chinch bugs are common insects that significantly damage and kill St Augustine grass. Therefore, bookmark this article if you are wondering how to kill chinch bugs in St Augustine grass.
You’ll identify the presence of these insects in your turf by the sight of enlarging and irregular dead turf patches. These patches look dry and yellow or orange, and the grass in those areas is either stunted or dead.
You can kill chinch bugs in St. Augustine grass using insecticides. These insecticides include ortho bugclear, bifenthrin, trichlorfon, carbaryl, triazicide, dylox, and bifen L/p.
