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Chinch Bugs are a small North American bug,
Blissus leucopterus. It feeds on small grains, corn, and other grasses,
sucking the plant juices and doing much damage to crops, particularly in the
Midwest. The adults, about 1/8 in. (3.5 mm) long, have black bodies with black
and white wings, red legs, and red spots at the bases of the antennae. Both
long- and short-winged forms occur. There are two generations a year. The adults
overwinter in sheltered places, emerging in spring to feed on early maturing
grains, such as wheat and oats. They lay their eggs on the bases of the grasses
or in the ground, and the nymphs, or larvae emerge in about a week. Red when
they emerge, the nymphs mature in five stages, turning gray or brown. They feed
on the same grasses as their parents. When they reach the adult stage, in about
six weeks, they migrate on foot to later-maturing grains, such as corn, which
are still tender; there they lay the eggs that give rise to the second
generation of the season.
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