Chinch Bug Control on an Edward Avenue Home Lawn in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, 1981

Ten insecticides were applied Aug 12 to a chinch bug infested lawn, consisting of fine leafed fescue (85%) and KY bluegrass (15%). Due to the limited size of the home lawn, treatment plots were 5x5 ft. They were arranged in a randomized complete block design with 3 replicates. Liquid formulations were applied in 1 gal of water with a hand held sprinkling can. Granular formulations were applied with a hand held shaker, followed by watering in with 1 gal of water. Environmental conditions were as follows: air temperature, 80°F; soil temperature, 60°F; soil type, silt-clay-loam; soil pH, 6.9; soil condition, moist; percent organic matter, 2.6; and amount of thatch, 0.5-0.75 inch. A flotation method was used for sampling, using 6 inch dia circular cans. Post-treatment counts were made at 7 day (Aug 19) and 28 day (Sep 9) intervals. Three locations were randomly selected within each replicate, and the total number of chinch bugs rising to the surface over a 10 min count (per loction) was recorded and converted to a ft2 count.