Integrated Pest Management
False Chinch Bug
Nysius raphanus
False chinch bug (Russ Ottens, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org)
False chinch bugs (Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org)
False chinch bug nymphs and adults (Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org)
Pest Description
- adults: 1/8 – 1/6 inch; grayish brown and slender
- nymphs: smaller, lack wings and are mottled gray with reddish markings
Host Plants, Diet & Damage
- primarily plants in the crucifer family; turfgrasses; agricultural crops; many other plants
- suck sap out of plants and seeds
- rarely cause serious plant damage
- in crops and landscapes, they tend to occur in spotty aggregations on plants
- nuisance; may aggregate in large numbers on buildings especially if hosts
- are harvested or managed with herbicide
Biology, Life Cycle & Damaging Life Stage
- overwinter as adults near host plants
- in spring, eggs are laid around the bases of host plants
- nymphs feed on host plants throughout plant development
- three generations per year; overlapping life stages present
IPM Recommendations
- Damage to plants is rare; tolerate pest.
- Primarily an aesthetic or nuisance issue.
- Apply an insecticide (pyrethroid) to host plants when present.