cutworm - Pest Control

The caterpillar larva of moths of the family Noctuidae. It can cause serious damage to crops by feeding on the stems and foliage of seedlings. (Order: Lepidoptera.)

Most cutworms are in the moth family Noctuidae, however, not all noctuid larvae are cutworms. They are voracious leaf, bud, and stem feeders and can destroy entire plants. Cutworms are usually green, brown, or yellow soft-bodied caterpillars, often with longitudinal stripes, up to one inch in length.

Pest Control

While there are pesticides which can control these insects, the non-industrial gardener can protect threatened plants (most often tomato, pepper, pea, or bean) by simply impeding the ground-hiding cutworm caterpillar from climbing the plant; they hide in the soil near the plants and climb them at night.

To prevent this, one can:

Place a "cutworm ring" around the plant. Some even use five gallon buckets with the bottom cut out, planting the seedling and bucket at the same time. Wrap the stem of the plant in aluminum foil, wax paper, cardboard, or plastic. If they run smoothly up the side of the plant several inches, this apparently stops the cutworm from "wrapping itself around" the plant, necessary for its evolved method of cutting it off.