Chinch bugs are tiny insects that can cause considerable damage to lawns. Many people wonder if these small pests can bite humans or pets.
Do Chinch Bugs Bite?
Chinch bugs do not bite humans or pets. Their mouthparts are specifically adapted for piercing plant tissue, not skin. These insects possess piercing-sucking mouthparts, which they use to extract fluids from plants. Chinch bugs are not known to carry or transmit diseases to humans or animals.
How Chinch Bugs Cause Harm
Chinch bugs inflict damage by feeding on turfgrass. They use their specialized mouthparts to pierce grass blades and suck out the plant’s sap. As they feed, chinch bugs also inject a toxic substance into the plant.
This toxin disrupts the plant’s vascular system, preventing it from transporting water and nutrients effectively. The injection of this toxin causes the grass to yellow, wilt, and eventually die, even if the pests are no longer present.
This feeding behavior leads to irregular patches of discolored and dead grass in affected lawns. These damaged areas can expand rapidly, especially in hot, dry conditions.
Spotting Chinch Bugs and Their Damage
Chinch bugs are small, making them difficult to spot without close inspection. Adult chinch bugs typically measure about 1/8 to 1/4 inch in length. They have black bodies with white wings that often feature a distinctive hourglass or triangular black mark.
Immature chinch bugs, known as nymphs, are even smaller and lack wings. They are often bright red or orange with a noticeable white band across their backs, gradually darkening as they mature.
Chinch bugs and their damage are most commonly found in sunny, hot, and dry areas of a lawn, often near sidewalks or driveways. The damage they cause often resembles drought stress, appearing as irregular yellowing patches that turn brown and brittle. A key difference is that chinch bug-damaged grass will not recover or green up after watering, unlike drought-stressed turf.
To confirm their presence, homeowners can perform a “float test”:
- Remove both ends from a coffee can.
- Insert it a few inches into the soil at the edge of a damaged area.
- Fill it with water.
- Wait for about 5-10 minutes. If chinch bugs are present, they will float to the surface.