ScientificName: Order Lepidoptera, family Noctuidae, many species
Description: 1 ½-inch, brown or black larva of nocturnal moths.
Habitat/Food: Cutworms will cause problems in your vegetable garden by cutting down seedlings close to the ground. They sometimes eat the upper foliage.
Life Cycle: Larvae hatch in early summer. After feeding, they form pupae in the soil and emerge as adults.
Organic Control: Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) and diatomaceous earth should be used to control cutworms.
Interesting Fact: Cutworms lack walking appendages in the middle of the body so they move around by drawing the rear end up to the front end and then straightening.