The common chinch bug (Blissus leucopterus) is an economically important pest of grass field crops in the eastern High Plains of the U.S.
Chinch bugs pierce vascular tissues of plants to feed on sap and secrete digestive enzymes that break down surrounding plant tissues.
The greatest threat of economic damage from chinch bugs comes from the large migration of immature bugs from maturing wheat fields into nearby corn and sorghum fields that occurs in late-May to early June.