TechNotes Sept. 9 - Chinch Bug, Soil Temps

CHINCH BUG. Second generation Hairy Chinch Bug nymphs are appearing throughout the Ohio Valley. Symptoms are often confused with other environmental (drought) and pest (bluegrass billbug) damage. One interesting symptom is the appearance of perennial ryegrass plants or patches in a devastated Kentucky bluegrass lawn. Chinch bugs feed on the bluegrass plants and often times leave the ryegrass plants alone. An easy method to check for chinch bugs is to part the damaged grass in the form of a trough. As light penetrates the exposed area, hairy chinch bugs will begin to burrow back into the darker areas. Chinch bugs are sensitive to light and tend to move away from it. It is this movement that you will be able to detect. An insecticide application may be warranted, if the chinch bug populations are high and damage is unacceptable.

SOIL TEMPERATURES.