Keywords
Blissus isularis Barber
St. Augustinegrass pest management
How to Cite
Abstract
Southern chinch bug, Blissus isularis Barber, is the most damaging insect pest of St. Augustinegrass in the United States. St. Augustinegrass is the most common turfgrass used in Florida. The ubiquity of this single turfgrass species makes southern chinch bug an economically important pest in the state. In fact, chinch bugs cost Florida homeowners and professionals millions of dollars every year. This 7-page fact sheet written by Eileen A. Buss, Brianna M. Whitman, and Adam G. Dale and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Entomology and Nematology describes the biology of the pest and the damage it causes and lists ways to scout and monitor for chinch bugs and some strategies for control of the pest.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/lh036
References
Addesso, K. M., H. J. McAuslane, and R. Cherry. 2012. "Aggregation Behavior of the Southern Chinch Bug (Hemiptera: Blissidae)." Environmental Entomology 41: 887-895. https://doi.org/10.1603/EN11145
Busey, P., and B. J. Center. 1987. "Southern chinch bug (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Lygaeidae) overcomes resistance in St. Augustinegrass." Journal of Economic Entomology 80: 608-611. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/80.3.608
Busey, P., and G. H. Snyder. 1993. "Population outbreak of the southern chinch bug is regulated by fertilization." International Turfgrass Society Research Journal 7: 353-361.
Cherry, R. 2011. "Distribution of Eumicrosoma benefica (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) in Southern Chinch Bug (Hemiptera: Blissidae) Populations." Florida Entomologist 94: 352-353. https://doi.org/10.1653/024.094.0234
Cherry, R., and R. Nagata. 2005. "Development of resistance in southern chinch bugs (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) to the insecticide bifenthrin." The Florida Entomologist 88: 219-221. https://doi.org/10.1653/0015-4040(2005)088[0219:DORISC]2.0.CO;2
Desneux, N., A. Decourtye, and J. M. Delpuech. 2007. "The sublethal effects of pesticides on beneficial arthropods." Annual Review of Entomology 52: 81-106. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ento.52.110405.091440
Kerr, S. H. 1966. "Biology of the lawn chinch bug, Blissus insularis." Florida Entomologist 49: 9-18. https://doi.org/10.2307/3493308
Kerr, S. H., and F. A. Robinson. 1958. "Chinch bug control tests, 1956-57." The Florida Entomologist 41: 97-101. https://doi.org/10.2307/3492058
Larson, J. L., C. T. Redmond, and D. A. Potter. 2012. "Comparative impact of an anthranilic diamide and other insecticidal chemistries on beneficial invertebrates and ecosystem services in turfgrass." Pest Management Science 68: 740-748. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.2321
Larson, J. L., A. Dale, D. Held, B. McGraw, D. S. Richmond, K. Wickings, and R. Chris Williamson. 2017. "Optimizing Pest Management Practices to Conserve Pollinators in Turf Landscapes: Current Practices and Future Research Needs." Journal of Integrated Pest Management 8. https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmx012
Rangasamy, M., B. Rathinasabapathi, H. J. McAuslane, R. H. Cherry, and R. T. Nagata. 2009a. "Oxidative responses of St. Augustinegrasses to feeding of southern chinch bug, Blissus insularis Barber." Journal of Chemical Ecology 35: 796-805. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-009-9664-y
Rangasamy, M., B. Rathinasabapathi, H. J. McAuslane, R. Cherry, and R. Nagata. 2009b. "Role of leaf sheath lignification and anatomy in resistance against southern chinch bug (Hemiptera: Blissidae) in St. Augustinegrass." Journal of Economic Entomology 102: 432-439. https://doi.org/10.1603/029.102.0156
Raupp, M. J., J. J. Holmes, C. Sadof, P. M. Shrewsbury, and J. A. Davidson. 2001. "Effects of cover sprays and residual pesticides on scale insects and natural enemies in urban forests." Journal of Arboriculture 27: 203-214.
Reinert, J. A. 1978. "Natural enemy complex of the southern chinch bug in Florida." Annals of the Entomological Society of America 71: 728-731. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/71.5.728
Reinert, J. A. 1982. "Carbamate and synthetic pyrethroid insecticides for control of organophosphate-resistant southern chinch bugs (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae)." Journal of Economic Entomology 75. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/75.4.716
Reinert, J. A., and K. M. Portier. 1983. "Distribution and characterization of organophosphate-resistant southern chinch bugs (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae) in Florida." Journal of Economic Entomology 76: 1187-1190. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/76.5.1187
Satterthwaite, L. N., A. W. Hodges, J. J. Haydu, and J. L. Cisar. 2009. "An agronomic and economic profile of Florida's sod industry in 2007." Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, Florida Cooperative Extension Service.
Vasquez, J. C., and E. A. Buss. 2006. "Southern chinch bug feeding impact on St. Augustinegrass growth under different irrigation regimes." Applied Turfgrass Science. doi:10.1094/ATS-2006-0711-01-RS.
Vázquez, C., R. N. Royalty, and E. A. Buss. 2011. "Susceptibility of Blissus insularis (Heteroptera: Hemiptera: Blissidae) Populations in Florida to Bifenthrin and Permethrin." Florida Entomologist 94: 571-581. https://doi.org/10.1653/024.094.0322
Wolfenbarger, D. O. 1953. "Insect and mite control problems in lawn and golf courses." The Florida Entomologist 36: 9-12. https://doi.org/10.2307/3492176
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license.