Adults begin to appear in the middle of March. Females deposit eggs singly or in clusters, and each female can lay as many as 500 eggs. Under optimum conditions, the eggs hatch in 3 to 5 days, and the larvae develop in 3 to 4 weeks passing through 6 instars. Pupae mature in 2 weeks during the summer and as many as 9 weeks in the fall. Some of the cutworms can produce as many as four generations each year in the southeastern United States.
Cutworms can enter a greenhouse as moths which fly in and deposit eggs.
Often eggs, larvae, and pupae gain entry in contaminated soil or on infested plants brought into the greenhouse. Cutworms can be found throughout the year in the greenhouse if a population is established there.