Black Cutworm

Photo courtesy of David Shetlar, Ohio State University, used with permission

With a wing span of 1 to 1½ inches, the adult black cutworm moth has long, narrow dark forewings and white hind wings. The forewings are brown to black in the basal two thirds and clay colored near the tips. There is a distinct black "dagger-like" dash near the front margin of each forewing. The moths are nocturnal and can be difficult to distinguish from other species of cutworm moths.

Black cutworm moths can appear in traps throughout the growing season starting in March in Kentucky. Corn should be scouted for cutworms from planting through mid-June. For information on scouting and management techniques see IPM-2 Kentucky IPM Manual for Field Crops-Corn and ENT-59 Cutworm Management in Corn. In Kentucky, outbreaks of black cutworms are from moths migrating from the south. Late planting date, history of cutworm damage, soybean surface litter, and fair to poor drainage or overflow land are all characteristics of fields susceptible to cutworm damage.

For information on Black cutworms in soybeans see EntFact132-Cutworms in Kentucky Soybeans.

The following graph shows the average trap counts for Black cutworm moths at the UK Research and Education Center for the five year period from 1997 through 2001. This information is also available through the Kentucky Pest News web site.

Trap Counts for Black cutworms are available for the following years:

1993	1994	1995
1996	1997	1998
1999	2000	2001
2002	2003

Original document: 31 August 2001 Last updated: 19 February 2004