CUTWORMS

Description:  eggs are usually round, 0.02-0.03 inch in diameter, flat on the lower surface bluntly pointed at the top, and often, have sculpturing lines, and ridges on the surface.  Larvae are mostly hairless except for a few scattered bristles.  In addition to three pairs of true legs, caterpillars have five pairs of fleshy pro-legs on the abdomen.  Most cutworks have characteristic markings on the head and body that aid in identification.  Full-grown cutworm larvae are 0.2 inch wide and 1.4-2.0 inches long.  Most cutworms are firmly joined together, but the abdomen is free to twist around if the pupa is disturbed.

Injury:  Cutworms are semi-subterranean pests.  They usually dig a burrow into the ground or thatch (or use an aeration hole) and emerge at night to clip off grass blades and shoots.  This feeding damage often shows up as circular spots of dead grass or depressed spots that resemble ball marks on golf greens.  The bronzed cutworm is active in the fall and spring and can completely destroy lawns by clipping off all grass stems at ground level.