They pupate into sword-grass moths, which are darker-colored moths. These can be seen and identified by the dark spots all over their bodies. There are a few species of cutworms that are quite common. Cutworms are about 2” at max length and may be solid or striped. They’re also very good at hiding and avoid humans and other pests, which is why they only feed at night. They’re also often found curled up when not eating or moving, so you’ll see them in a “C” shape. If you’ve ever seen the grub form of a beetle, you may mistake a grub for a cutworm, which are completely different species.Ĭutworms range in color from pink, green, and black. What do cutworms look like? This is a cutworm pupating into a moth.Īt first glance, cutworms look like grubs of beetles. Butterflies also pupate from caterpillars, but a different type. The cutworm form is just the larvae of a moth. Cutworms are considered a caterpillar and there’s no difference between them.Ĭutworms pupate into adult moths. Some other common names for cutworms are glassy cutworms, Noctuidae, moth caterpillars, army cutworms, black cutworms, floodplain cutworms, dark sword-grass, ipsilon dart, or moth larvae. This usually happens from August to September. Over time, entire fields can be left bare where damage is extensive.ĭuring the summer months (July), the mature cutworms burrow back into the soil and create a chamber to pupate.Īfter a month or so, adult moths will emerge from the soil. They’ll continue to feed on plants causing extensive damage if left unmanaged. Cutworms also multiply rapidly as adult moths lay eggs. They feed at night so they can be hard to get rid of because of their ability to hide. They attack the new roots and leaves of seedling plants and also can climb on top of mature plants to eat the leaves. This means as the temperatures rise outdoors, you’ll find more and more cutworms coming out of nowhere.Ĭutworms attack plants are a serious threat to farmers and hobbyist gardeners. They’re quite destructive towards plants and will do the most damage after they emerge from hibernation over the colder months. What’s a cutworm? Cutworms are destructive pests that only come out at night.Ī cutworm is the small, larval form of a moth.
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