Chinch bugs eating my lawn?

[elyders]

My lawn is getting eaten! There are dead blades intermingled with good blades in most of my backyard. I can see that the roots are gone on the runners of the dead blades. I inspect it closely and see half a dozen chinch bugs every sq foot. I dug up the earth and didn't see any grubs. Is there a "normal" amount of chinch bugs that a yard will have?

In Houston, we had almost no rain in May and June, but we've had 4" the last 2 weeks. I thought chinch bugs like hot, dry weather. In May and June, when it was hot and dry, my grass looked really good. I had noticed some dry spots in the late afternoon, and that's where I'm seeing the most damage now. Maybe it takes some time before the damage is visible.

Might the chinch bugs stop eating if I keep my lawn moist at all times?

I've heard that insecticidal soaps might work. Do I have to spray it on evry day?