A significant proportion of the adults in this generation have fully developed wings which extend to the end of the abdomen. These winged adults are capable of dispersing to new feeding sites. First stage nymphs of the second summer generation hatch from eggs during mid to late July, and complete development in September and early October. Adults of this generation, which are predominately short-winged, overwinter in or near buffalograss. Figure 2 shows the life history of the buffalograss chinch bug.
Chinch bugs injure buffalograss by withdrawing juices from plant tissues in the crown area.
While feeding, they also inject a salivary toxin that damages plant tissues and inhibits the translocation of water and nutrients. Initially, this results in reddish discoloration of plant tissues. In the lawn or buffalograss stand, damage appears as patchy areas which turn yellow and dry to a straw-brown color as feeding progresses. At higher infestation levels, chinch bug feeding can result in severe thinning or even death of the buffalograss stand. The best defense against buffalograss chinch bugs involves the use of sound cultural practices to maintain buffalograss stands in optimum condition.