I own a home in central Toronto. New sod was laid in early September 2016, and we have a sprinkler system in use. We went away on vacation for two weeks recently (early August) and came home to find that chinch bugs had killed a patch of grass about 4 feet by 2 feet, in the sunniest part of the lawn. It is now mid-August. What can we do to kill these bugs and prevent further damage this season, and what can we do to prevent them from returning in the spring/summer of 2018?
Thank you for contacting Toronto Master Gardeners.
We refer you to two good articles already published on our website ;
https://www.torontomastergardeners.ca/askagardener/grub-control-treatments/
https://www.torontomastergardeners.ca/askagardener/bare-and-dug-up-garden-lawn/
In addition, here is a good link regarding prevention:
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/pest-control-tips/chinch-bugs.html
Hope this helps!