The wings are carried folded over the back. The eggs are laid in leaf sheaths or crevices in nodes and other protected places. The young develop into adults in four to six weeks. There are 3-4 generations a year. The bugs insert their slender beak into the grass and suck the plant juices.
Typical injury appears as spreading patches of brown, dead grass.
St. Augustine grass is the most seriously injured, but other lawn grasses are also subject to attack. Chinch bug infestations and damage are most often first noticed during hot dry periods in sunny areas of the lawn. Sod webworms are caterpillars of small brown to dull gray moths. They are covered with fine hairs. They fold their wings closely about their bodies when at rest and have a prominent forward projection on the head.