The black cutworm – Agrostis ipsilon Hüfnagel (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) – is widely distributed in the temperate regions of the world. Photo Credit: James Kalisch, University of Nebraska, Bugwood.Find information about black cutworm in Minnesota corn, including their characteristics, habitat, at-risk fields, signs of damage and strategies for managing infestations. The underside of the larvae is a pale yellow.Larvae have a light gray back and have four black dots on each segment.Photo Credit: Canadian National Collection, The Canadian National Collection (CNC) of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, There are bars on the front of the face and a broad yellow-brown stripe on the back.Larvae are pale-gray and translucent with a gray-brown head.Photo Credit: James Kalisch, University of Nebraska, Unequally sized, paired tubercles (small rounded projections or protuberances) run along the upper side of the body.A broad light gray band runs down the middle of the back Color varies from greasy gray to black.Range in size between one sixth to one and one half inches.Photo Credit: Adam Sisson, Iowa State University, Some larvae are dull and others appear glossy or shiny.

Some cutworms are a uniform color while others are spotted or striped. They typically curl into a tight ‘C’ shape when disturbed.ĭifferent species can look different from one another and they can range in colors including brown, tan, pink, green, gray or black. They are smooth with very few hairs and are about two inches long when fully grown. Older, larger worms tend to remain below the soil surface, and often cut plants above, at, or below ground level.Ĭutworms are similar in general appearance. Young cutworm larvae feed above-ground at night or on cloudy days. Late-planted and/or weedy fields are at higher risk for cutworm infestation. Most cutworms overwinter as pupae in the soil or as young larvae, however, some move into the Midwest as moths from southern latitudes. There are several species of cutworms, all with a wide host range, including soybean. North Carolina Soybean Producers Association.New York Corn and Soybean Growers Association.Minnesota Soybean Research Promotion Council.Soybean Extension Specialists Directory.

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