Cutworms

Range of different types: Red-backed, Army, Variegated, etc.

Causal organism: Range of different species

Crops Affected: Wide host range – most vegetables including tomato, eggplant, peppers, asparagus (occasionally), carrots, cucurbits (occasionally), lettuce, corn, peas, beans, potatoes, etc.

Life Cycle:

• Adults are moths which range in size
• Moths lay eggs in the soil in weedy areas in late summer and into fall
  • Overwinter as eggs or as larvae (depends on species)
  • Eggs hatch and larvae emerge in spring when soils warm up
• Pest life stage is the larva
  • Solitary, nocturnal feeders which are active at night
    • Typically stay near the soil surface during the day, near plants (subterranean)
  • Larvae curl in distinctive C-shape when disturbed
  • Larvae feed for several weeks at or near the base of plants
    • May reach 5 cm in length (depending on species)
  • Eggs laying and survival is reduced by cooler and wetter weather whereas warm and dry conditions favour development

Symptoms:

• Most often affect the seedlings of plants
• Plants may have cut stems or petioles (near the soil surface), or stalks may have feeding damage
• Numerous plants may be destroyed in a single night by a few larvae
• Larvae curl in distinctive C-shape when disturbed
  • Found during scouting (night) or by digging near soil surface (day)
• Aboveground feeding by some species may result in holes in foliage or fruit

Monitoring:

• Regularly check for damage, particularly in the spring
• Search in the soil for larvae (during the day) or scout plants in the evening
• In new fields or early in the season, scout the field edges along rough areas or in weedy areas

Management:

• Monitor regularly for evidence of pest
• Apply registered controls when necessary
  • Apply chemical controls during the late evening to ensure contact with larvae
  • Spot or area spraying may be effective
• Replanting / reseeding crops may be necessary

• Keep field and headlands free from weeds, as much as possible