Chinch Bugs

It's funny. It's the same questions and same advise year after year. I read countless articles where people are looking for help to care for their lawns and to spot potential problems. Year after year, I take notes so I too can be prepared.

A few years ago, I obviously had a problem with my lawn in my front yard (the part that the Home Owner's Association, aka HOA, inspects). Was it a fungus? Was it chinch bugs? How was I to know for sure?

I tried the old coffee-can and soapy water trick (if you don' know what I am talking about, see http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/lh036). I didn't see anything float to the top of the suds, except for a few roaches and beetles. I concluded, my problem must be fungus related - so I treated it appropriately. A few weeks later, I noticed no improvement. Therefore, I concluded that my first conclusion was incorrect and the problem must really indeed be chinch bugs - and again, treated it appropriately. Time went on and there still were no improvements. By now I had two pretty big sections of brown grass. I knew it was a matter of time before I received the dreaded letter from the HOA.

I got a glass of wine to properly access the situation and think through my options. It is just against my religion to buy sod. I like grass and I think it is attractive. However, with the maintenance it requires, to me it just doesn't provide as much return on my investment as other planting materials. I refilled my glass of wine and got my sketch book and drew out two garden beds that somewhat harmonized with each other and the layout of my front yard. Of course, they also completely covered the chinch bug infested areas of my lawn.

I spent the weekend drawing out my beds with my edger, and then removing what was left of the grass. I bought a few plants and divided some others to get something going to authenticate these 'beds' as areas that were not intended to have grass. As with any gardening project, unless you spend big bucks and buy mature plants, it take some time to become established. It's been several years now. It's coming along quite nicely, although it still on my "five year plan" and has a ways to go before I am completely satisfied.

My letter from the HOA came the following Monday. I was thankful that I had beat them to it!

For anyone looking for a more conventional approach to treating chinch bugs, the link I referenced above has good information.