Hairy Chinch Bug
"What is this bug causing brown, dead patches of grass to appear on my lawn?"
The Hairy Chinch Bug
Blissus leucopterous hirtus is a common lawn pest in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It kills grass by sucking the sap out with its pointy mouthpiece and injecting a toxic saliva into the blade of grass during the process. Chinch bug damage will often go unnoticed when only small populations are present, but when many chinch bugs congregate on your lawn, damage appears as round, brownish-yellow dead patches of grass, as seen in the picture above. Population size, and therefore lawn damage, depends on weather, with only small populations being produced under wet conditions. Damage is most prevalent if weather is hot and dry early in the summer season, particularly on sunny, dry areas near slopes and the edge of lawns. In exceptionally hot summers, there may be a second generation later in the summer. Be careful not to confuse Hairy Chinch Bug damage with other factors that can cause lawn damage including hot temperatures, drought, porous (gravelly) soil, dog urine, and fertilizer burn.
Characteristics and Life Cycle
The first and second stage nymphs are orange-red with a distinct white band across the middle and are wingless. As they mature, the nymphs darken in colour to brown and, finally, to black just before becoming adults. Adult chinch bugs are black with folded white wings and are approximately 3-3.5 mm long. Adults overwinter in sheltered locations and when warmer temperatures occur, the female chinch bugs will feed, mate and lay eggs at the base of grasses. Eggs hatch into nymphs that pass through five growth stages before becoming adults in July or August. The following photograph shows the various life stages of Blissus leucopterous hirtus:
