Hemipteran Pests: Suborder Heteroptera

This chapter looks at Hemipteran pests. Turfgrass-infesting chinch bugs are true bugs in the suborder Heteroptera, family Blissidae, subfamily Blissinae, originally known as the “chinch bug family.” The family Blissidae has about 50 genera and 400 species, fewer than 10 of which are economically important to humans. Four genera are found in North America, including 30 species that attack grasses and sedges, but only the genus Blissus contains serious turfgrass pests. Adult chinch bugs in the family Blissidae are elongate, usually four times as long as broad. Short-winged (brachypterous) and long-winged (macropterous) forms exist in numerous species. The chapter then considers the Blissus chinch bugs, the hairy chinch bug, the southern chinch bug, the western chinch bug, and the common chinch bug.

The first chinch bug Blissidae (Hemiptera, Heteroptera) from the Eocene Oise amber

Eoblissus gallicus gen. et sp. nov., first accurate fossil Blissidae, is described from the Lowermost Eocene amber of France. This fossil is of interest for future calibrations regarding phylogenetic dating of the Lygaeoidea.

False Chinch Bug Nysius raphanus Howard (Insecta: Hemiptera: Lygaeidae)

The false chinch bug, Nysius raphanus Howard, is a small, greyish, native North American herbivorous seed bug. It is recognized as the most serious pest among members of the genus Nysius, but reports of heavy infestations and serious crop damage are uncommon. Includes: Introduction - Distribution - Description and Life Cycle - Host Plants - Damage - Management - Selected Referenceshttps://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1212 Also published at http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/ORN/TURF/false_chinch_bug.html

Managing Southern Chinch Bug in Warm Season Turfgrasses

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