There is one generation per year and it overwinters as a small larva. Bronzed cutworms cut seedling plants but feed primarily on grasses. It is most common in corn planted in pasture or sod field, and is not likely to be found in continuous corn or soybean-rotated fields. The larvae have seven stripes, four brown and three yellow, running the length of the body. The general body color is dark brown with a bronze sheen.
Stalk borers tunnel into the above-ground portion of the corn plant.
Newly emerging leaves from the whorl often have numerous large holes. Injury becomes obvious when the plant terminal begins to wilt and turn brown. Stalk borers are very common pests of corn, especially in rows next to grassy waterways and fence lines. These rows often are stunted in height. Young larvae have cream-colored stripes along the center of the back and along each side.