They are active, voracious feeders at night. Larvae normally hide in the soil around the base of the corn seedling or under debris on the soil surface during the day. Usually, it is necessary to dig in the soil to find black cutworm larvae and to determine the extent of the infestation and the size of the cutworms involved. Frequently, the damage is most serious at the edges of a field but stand loss can occur in a spotty pattern throughout the field. If a black cutworm infestation is caught early, post-plant insecticide applications can rescue an unprotected planting. Since extensive damage may occur in a short period of time, inspect new sweet corn plantings frequently. When significant (greater than two moths per trap per day) moth counts are detected, intensify your field scouting during crop emergence. It is useful to check moth counts prior to making a pesticide application decision at planting. Pheromone moth trap counts in excess of two black cutworm moths per trap per day indicate significant egg-laying pressure. Following a particularly mild winter, gravid (pregnant) females overwinter in field boundaries and can infest corn plantings undetected by pheromone traps. Pest Monitoring Pheromone traps can be used to monitor for cutworms, but use them in combination with field scouting. Pest description, crop damage and life history
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