A black light trap uses a U/V light bulb mounted over a collection device, such as a bucket. Monitoringīlack cutworm moths are nocturnal and can easily be monitored using a black light trap. When full-grown, the larva is about 2 inches (50 mm) in length. The head capsule is dark with a triangle-shaped marking. The body is hairless, excluding a few bristles. The body can appear to be wet or slightly greasy. The black cutworm caterpillar's body appears green-gray to almost black, with a lighter gray underside and a broad stripe of lighter gray or brown down the middle of the back. Eggs are attached to the tip or the distal end of the grass blade. The eggs are smooth and have no other markings. The wingspan of the forewing can range between 1.25- 2 inches (32-51mm). There is a black dagger-shaped marking on the adult's wings. The black cutworm moth is a mottled brown to gray in color. These pockmarks become bigger and more irregular as the caterpillar continues to feed and are often mistaken for ball marks. Additionally, pruning the canopy near their burrow may cause depressions in the surface that disrupt ball roll on putting greens. The larvae also feed on the turfgrass foliage.
This insect is a well-known pest of corn, and will cut the stalks off at the base without consuming any of the plant. The black cutworm can produce four to five generations in the southern-most states, three to four in the transition zone, and 2 to 3 generations in the northern parts of its range.ĭamage in turf is through larval feeding adults feed only on nectar.
This species cannot survive freezing conditions, and thus infestations originate from southern locations. Black cutworm is distributed throughout the continental United States but vary seasonally by latitude. Black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon, is a common pest of short-mown bentgrasses found on golf course greens, approaches, fairways, and tee boxes across Pennsylvania.
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