July & August Are The Most Active Months For Chinch Bugs

Chinch bugs, like crickets and aphids, can cause massive damage to your lawn in large numbers. Due to their tiny size, they may be able to go unnoticed for a long period of time, and the telltale brown patches they produce when feeding on grass can easily be disguised during periods of drought. Like many other types of insects, chinch bugs are most active during the summer months and begin to mate and multiply during late spring.

During the winter, adult chinch bugs will seek out some kind of shelter, especially long grass or the spaces beneath rocks or logs. These adult chinch bugs can lay up to about three hundred eggs in a month, and the eggs usually hatch in a week or two. These eggs will usually be deposited in grass stems and other similar places, meaning that maintaining your lawn is one possible step to prevent an infestation in the first place. When the eggs finally hatch, the nymphs are easily recognizable by their bright red coloration and their unmistakable odor which can be detected in close proximity, especially if they are crushed.

Chinch bugs feed on many different types of grasses and especially love areas that enjoy exposure to direct sunlight for long periods of time. If your lawn does happen to be abnormally infested with these pests, you’ll likely notice damage to your grass during July and August, when they are actively feeding. Much like aphids, chinch bugs feed by removing the fluids from plants and injecting a toxin that turns the grass brown, eventually causing it to die. A large enough infestation over a long enough period of time will certainly become noticeable as larger and larger portions of your lawn begin to whither and die.

Despite the economic threat that these pests pose, there are a number of preventative measures that have historically proven to be fairly effective. One such measure is to maintain your lawn as much as possible, ensuring that it does not get overlong and out of control. This also includes clearing away any overgrown thatch and tall grasses on your property that you may otherwise ignore.

Cantu Pest & Termite is proud to be the first Houston pest control company to offer a Cantu Green Service to our customers in search of a more prevention-based solution to their pest removal while minimizing the use of pesticides.

If chinch bugs or other pests have made unwanted appearances around your home or business, call Cantu Pest Control and schedule an appointment today with one of our friendly, experienced chinch bug removal experts.