Foliar insecticides registered for chinch bug management are typically contact insecticides (they need to come in contact with the bugs to be efficacious) with short field activity (two to three days). Usage of these insecticides maybe warranted in areas with history of chinch bug infestation.įoliar insecticide sprays are recommended in dry conditions where injuries due to chinch bug are evident and 5 or more chinch bugs are present on 20 percent of seedlings less than 6 in (15 cm) tall. Soil insecticides applied at planting time and insecticidal seed treatments are effective against chinch bug. Since chinch bugs migrate from small grains to corn in the spring, planting corn near wheat, oat, barley or rye is not advisable. Management Approaches Scouting and Threshold Cultural MethodsĮarly planting helps to avoid chinch bug infestation during susceptible seedling stages.

Chinch bug is considered a sporadic pest of corn but it can be a major problem in situations where late planting is followed by dry weather. Severely infested plants are stunted, the leaves wilted and the plant may eventually die. Chinch bug deprives the plant of nutrients by sucking the plant sap. When the temperatures begin to fall below 70☏ (21.1☌) in the fall, the chinch bugs begin to migrate to bunchgrasses.ĭepending on the population levels, injury caused by chinch bugs may range from slight to severe. Chinch bug infestation start at the field margin and may move deeper into the field.Īdult cinch bugs mate and lay eggs within the corn field, producing the second generation of the year. Later, the bugs move to above-ground plant parts and start to feed on stems and lower leaves. Seedling corn less than 12 inches tall are very susceptible to injuries inflicted by sustained feeding of chinch bugs. The bugs begin to feed at the crowns and on plant parts below the soil surface. The nymphs migrate by walking while the adults fly to the adjacent corn fields. When the small grains start to mature, chinch bugs begin to migrate in large numbers to corn. The resulting nymphs feed by sucking plant saps at the root zone or behind the leaf sheath. Females may lay several hundred eggs in two to four weeks. The bugs mate and lay eggs on these crops, usually behind the lower leaf sheaths or just below the soil surface.

Areas with the poorest stands of wheat seemed to be more attractive for chinch bug migration. In the spring when temperatures rise above 70☏ (21.1☌) for several consecutive days, adult chinch bugs start to move out of their overwintering sites and migrate to nearby small grains such as wheat, barley, oats and rye. Adult chinch bugs may also overwinter in cool-season pasture grasses, other grassy areas in field margins and under crop residue in corn or sorghum fields. Clumps of native warm-season bunchgrasses such as little bluestem, big bluestem and switchgrass serve as the preferred overwintering sites. Chinch bug nymph Life Cycle and Seasonal HistoryĬhinch bugs survive the winter as adults.

Chinch bugs