Scouting for Cutworms Scout fields once or twice a week beginning with plant emergence. Cutworm scouting can be ended once plants are one foot tall since little additional cutting will occur. Observe plants at several locations in each field for evidence of leaf feeding or cutting of plants. Pay special attention to poorly drained areas and places where weeds were present before planting. If cut plants are found, examine the soil around damaged plants for cutworms.
Cutworms feed at night and hide in the soil or under debris during the day.
The general recommendation for cutworm control involves use of a postemergence rescue treatment once cutworms and signs of damage are observed. If the soil surface is dry or crusted, rotary hoeing immediately before or after insecticide application may improve control. Pyrethroid insecticides should not be incorporated, however. Preventive treatments applied at or before planting have generally given erratic control, especially where cutworm numbers have been high. Also, most fields do not have a cutworm problem every year, so preventive treatments are often unnecessary.