False chinch bugs infest homes in Arizona each year, but due to the unusually rainy winter this past winter in Tucson, the insects are swarming into homes in massive numbers in the city. False chinch bugs emerge during the spring season in southern Arizona. These nuisance insects are not usually an issue within southern Arizona homes, which is why so many residents of Tucson are baffled by the presence of these unrecognizable insects that seem impossible to eradicate. The bugs began to infest homes in Tucson toward the end of April, and many homeowners in the city are still struggling to keep the insects out of their home.
Eradicating chinch bug infestations within structures is simply not possible with insecticides that are available over-the-counter, which is a lesson that one midtown Tucson resident, Nancy Bailey, learned the hard way. Initially, Bailey assumed that the insects were ticks or bed bugs, but she began to question this assumption once she found what must have been thousands of the insects crawling in every corner of her home including her walls, ceilings, and door frames. Bailey even woke in the middle of the night to find the insects crawling in her hair. Eventually, Bailey hired a pest control professional to eradicate the infestation. However, even pest control professionals are limited in their ability to control false chinch bug infestations within homes, as the insects are attracted to overgrown lawn grass and other forms of yard vegetation. In order to prevent these insects from gravitating toward properties, lawns must be mowed regularly.
While pest controllers can eradicate the bugs from within a home, they cannot prevent the pests from returning unless residents practice vigilant yard maintenance. The wet winter in southern Arizona caused vegetation within residential yards to grow out of control, and unfortunately, false chinch bugs thrive within areas containing overgrown grass. Although false chinch bugs do not bite, spread disease, or cause structural damage to homes, the insects have proven to be an unbearable nuisance for a large number of Tucson residents.
Do you happen to be one of the many southern Arizona residents to find chinch bugs within your home?
