Chinch bugs have been causing lots of damage to lawns in Calgary, and they are going unnoticed by homeowners. These pests are relatively unknown, but still a huge part of your yard. If left unchecked, these destructive bugs will leave your lawn in shambles while you wonder “what the heck is happening to my lawn?” You do not have to worry, at Cougarstone Lawn Care, we have a solution to your problem, and can help get your lawn back from these pests. You can click here to go to our Chinch Bug Control page or call 403-324-5296 to book a chinch bug treatment.

What is a chinch bug?

• Most homeowners do not know what chinch bugs are, yet they wreak havoc on thousands of lawns in Calgary each year.
• Chinch bugs are extremely small. A mature chinch bug can grow to 3-4mm in size, but usually, most grow to 1-2 mm and that is why they are so difficult to detect.
• They live in the thatch layer of your lawn and usually begin to emerge in Calgary by mid-June. They are active all summer while laying eggs daily and then hibernate in September.
• Their damage is often mistaken for drought damage typical of an underwatered lawn.

What do chinch bugs do?

• During the summer months they begin to feed on your lawn in the sunniest and driest areas.
• As they eat the lawn, they also inject a poison which will turn your lawn brown and can eventually kill the grass.
• They slowly spread outwards and to new areas of your lawn creating larger, and new brown spots.
• Because they can lay eggs daily, the infestations will get worse as time goes on.

How do I prevent chinch bugs?

There are a few measures that can be taken to help prevent chinch bugs in Calgary.

• Chinch bugs live in the thatch layer of your lawn. A healthy thatch layer of ½ inch or less is important for the health of the turf, but once your lawn develops a thicker thatch layer, it gives chinch bugs a perfect place to call home. A yearly aeration and power raking service will help keep your thatch layer at a healthy level, which will help reduce the likelihood that chinch bugs will live there.
• Chinch bugs also love the sunniest and driest areas of your turf. Ensure that you are properly watering your lawn by giving your lawn 1 inch of water each week at a minimum (at least 30 minutes in each area, 2-3 times per week).

How do I control chinch bugs?

• Fortunately, there are control measures that will completely fix your infestation quickly and safely. There are several treatments that will kill chinch bugs, but it is important to know that only a select few are allowed to be used in Calgary and safe on your lawn. Make sure your pest control company in Calgary is applying the proper product to treat chinch bugs and that it is registered for use on residential areas.
• As with most pests, chinch bugs need to be monitored each year from June to September. If you start to notice brown areas in the lawn, run your hand over the area and if you see little bugs jumping around, you most likely have chinch bugs, and you will require a treatment to get them under control.

At Cougarstone Lawn Care, we specialize in all things lawn, from maintenance to exterior pest control. You can call us anytime you think you have chinch bugs and will come out free of charge to assess your lawn. Each summer, we exterminate chinch bugs from several hundred yards and have become one of the few providers that offer this service. We also offer a risk-free guarantee, so we will come back free of charge until the problem is solved. All you have to do is call 403-324-5296 or request a quote by clicking here. You can also check out our Chinch Bug Control Service page.