Chinch bugs damage turf by which feeding habit?

Chinch bugs damage turf by which feeding habit?

• A. Chewing roots
• B. Piercing and sucking juices from grass blades
• C. Tunneling through turf
• D. Sucking juices from grass

Answer: (D)

Chinch bugs damage turf by removing plant sap. They use piercing-sucking mouthparts to extract juices from the grass, which deprives the grass cells of water and nutrients. This sap loss causes the blades to yellow, wither, and die in patches, especially under hot, dry conditions. So describing their feeding as sucking juices from grass captures the actual injury mechanism most accurately. Chewing roots would imply chewing action underground, which they don’t do, and tunneling through turf isn’t how they feed. The idea of piercing and sucking from blades is partly true, but the overall damage comes from sap extraction from the grass tissue, making sucking juices from grass the best description.

Chinch bugs damage turf by removing plant sap. They use piercing-sucking mouthparts to extract juices from the grass, which deprives the grass cells of water and nutrients. This sap loss causes the blades to yellow, wither, and die in patches, especially under hot, dry conditions. So describing their feeding as sucking juices from grass captures the actual injury mechanism most accurately. Chewing roots would imply chewing action underground, which they don’t do, and tunneling through turf isn’t how they feed. The idea of piercing and sucking from blades is partly true, but the overall damage comes from sap extraction from the grass tissue, making sucking juices from grass the best description.