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Chinch bugs: the damage that looks like drought

Southern chinch bugs are small insects that suck sap from lawn grass and inject a toxin that yellows and kills it. They hit St. Augustine hardest, and Clemson notes they feed on other lawn grasses too. The damage starts in the hottest, sunniest spots and is easy to mistake for a dry lawn.

What does chinch bug damage look like?

Patches of grass turn yellow, then brown, and die. The damage starts spotty and spreads, and Clemson notes it shows up first in full sun next to driveways, sidewalks and the road, where the grass is under the most heat stress. It appears during hot, dry weather and moves faster on drought-stressed grass.

How do I check for chinch bugs?

Adults are small and black with shiny white wings. Young nymphs are bright orange with a white band, then darken to red and black as they grow. Clemson describes two checks. Part the grass at the edge of a yellowing patch, where live grass meets dead, and watch the soil surface. Or push a can with both ends cut out into the soil there, fill it with water, and see whether bugs float up.

Why do chinch bugs get mistaken for drought?

Chinch bug damage appears in the same hot, dry weather and the same sunny spots as drought stress, so it is easy to water a patch that actually has bugs in it. Clemson also notes chinch bugs are most common on lush, heavily fertilized grass and on grass with a heavy thatch layer, which is one more reason not to push extra fertilizer at a failing patch.

When do chinch bugs need treatment?

Clemson's general threshold is 20 to 25 chinch bugs per square foot; at that level insecticide treatment is usually required. South Carolina gets two or three generations a year, and they overwinter as adults or older nymphs. Clemson warns that chinch bugs can do extensive damage to St. Augustine if they aren't controlled early.

Are some St. Augustine varieties resistant?

Only partly. Clemson's current St. Augustine factsheet rates Floratam's chinch bug resistance as slight, and says Captiva shows better resistance than other varieties but is not resistant. Plan on scouting whatever variety you have.

How does Spring Green treat chinch bugs?

Chinch bugs are one of the insects our Total Lawn Insect service targets. It runs three rounds a year, in spring, summer and fall, alongside the lawn visits. Long term, Clemson's prevention advice is thatch control, proper watering and not over-fertilizing.

Last updated 2026-09-25. Spring Green is owned by Stockton Wells.