In the East, chinch bugs often severely damage home lawns, golf greens, and other fine turf. Chinch bugs have become a recognized problem in Vermont turf only within the past 30 years. Injured plants turn yellowish at first, then brown and die if feeding continues. Damage is first seen as discolored, scattered patches, which may enlarge to include the entire lawn. An unchecked infestation may completely destroy a lawn.
Chinch bugs feed on bentgrass, bluegrass, and fescues, but no type of grass is immune to attack.
Lawns containing bentgrass are often seriously injured in New Jersey. Fescues are very susceptible to damage and are often killed in dry seasons. Less chinch bug damage occurs in wet seasons because rainy weather apparently either slows their development, increases disease, or reduces the impact of their feeding on the grass. Chinch bugs love the sun and are first found in the thinner, poorer, sunnier sections of the lawn. Their wings are folded over their back and appear whitish.