PEST PROFILES: MOTH AND BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

---

Cutworm Granulate Cutworm Click on image to view larger.

Cutworms Description: Granulate cutworm larvae are grayish-black, smooth-skinned and may reach 1-2 inches in length. They are active at night. Adults are grayish-brown marked with spots on the wings. They have a wing spread of 1-2 inches. There are 4 groups of cutworms based on feeding behavior: 1) subterranean cutworms, such as pale western cutworm, that feed almost entirely below the soil surface; 2) tunnel dwellers such as black cutworm, that locates food at the soil surface, pulls it into a tunnel for feeding; 3) surface feeders such as granulate cutworm and army cutworm and; 4) climbing cutworms such as variegated cutworm, which can devour the spring buds of grapes. Damage: Larvae chew on stems and leaves of plants often feeding only at night. Many turf, forage, ornamental and vegetable plants are attacked. Life cycle: Overwinters as feeding larvae. Mated females deposit eggs that hatch into larvae that develop through several larval stages before pupating in the soil. There may be 3 to 5 generations per year in central and south Texas, depending on weather conditions and temperature.