Specimens have been examined as far north as Maine, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota, and as far south as Louisiana and Alabama. Host Plants -Chinch bugs attack many forage, lawn, and wild grasses. The principal crop plants damaged are spring barley, wheat, corn, sorghum, Sudan grass, rye, timothy, and, to a lesser extent, winter barley and oats. This feeding prevents normal growth and results in dwarfing, lodging, and yield reduction. Severe infestations during early development may cause plants to wilt and die prematurely.
Most injury is caused by the six nymphal instars.
Life History -Chinch bugs overwinter as adults in various protected areas, particularly among weeds and grasses near fields. Adults emerge in the spring and deposit eggs singly behind the leaf sheath or in the soil at the base of the small grain crop plant. In a few days, the eggs hatch and the nymphs begin feeding on all parts of the host plant from the roots to the uppermost leaves. The nymphs undergo six developmental stages, the last being the adult stage. Two to three generations occur per year, the later generations migrating to corn and sorghum when small grain crops become dry.