Chinch Bugs

The Southern Chinch Bug, Blissus insularis Barber, is one of the most important insect pests of St. Augustinegrass in Texas.
Damage from chinch bugs can be a problem anywhere St. Augustine grass is grown, and causes the most damage in the Gulf Coast region and in the southern half of the state.
This species also occasionally damages other types of turf grass, such as Bermuda, Fescue and Zoysia.

Adults are small and slender, measuring 1 ⁄6 to 1 ⁄5 of an inch long. They have black bodies with white wings, each of which bears a distinctive, triangular black mark.
Generally speaking, some of the adults at any given site will have full-sized, functional wings. Others will be short-winged and cannot fly.
Recently hatched nymphs are wingless, yellow or pinkish-red with a light-colored band across their backs (abdomen). After each molt the nymphs more closely resemble the adults.

Expanding, irregular patches of dead or stunted grass surrounded by a halo of yellowing, dying grass often provide the first clue to the presence of chinch bugs.
These islands of dying grass tend to increase in size and merge as insect numbers increase. Damage can develop rapidly, especially in sunny locations during hot, dry weather.
Damage can be confused with certain lawn diseases or other physiological disorders.
Generally speaking, if there are enough chinch bugs to cause damage, they can easily be found moving around in the St. Augustine grass.

Merchant, Michael, and Dale Mott. Chinch Bugs in St. Augustine Lawns. 3 Oct. 2022.