The larva of various moths of the family Noctuidae that feed on and destroy a wide variety of plants.
[So called because many species eat through stems of plants.]
Dictionary:
cut·worm (kŭt'wûrm') ![]() |
The larva of various moths of the family Noctuidae that feed on and destroy a wide variety of plants.
[So called because many species eat through stems of plants.]
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: cutworm |
For more information on cutworm, visit Britannica.com.
| Columbia Encyclopedia: cutworm |
| Gardener's Dictionary: cutworm |
A smooth, wormlike, brown or green moth larva that feeds near the soil, cutting off the stems of new transplants. A cardboard collar placed around a seedling will keep cutworms away from it.

| Wikipedia: Cutworm |
The term cutworm is used for the larvae of many species of moth. Most cutworms are in the moth family Noctuidae, however, many noctuid larvae are not cutworms. Cutworms are notorious agricultural and garden pests. They are voracious leaf, bud, and stem feeders and can destroy entire plants. They get their name from their habit of "cutting" off a seedling at ground level by chewing through the stem. Some species are subterranean and eat roots. Cutworms are usually green, brown, or yellow soft-bodied caterpillars, often with longitudinal stripes, up to one inch in length. There are many variations across the genera.
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While there are pesticides which can control these insects, the non-industrial gardener can protect threatened plants (most often tomato, pepper, pea, or bean) by simply impeding the ground-hiding cutworm caterpillar from climbing the plant; they hide in the soil near the plants and climb them at night.
To prevent this, one can:
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![]() | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more | |
![]() | Gardener's Dictionary. Taylor's Dictionary for Gardeners, by Frances Tenenbaum. Copyright © 1997 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cutworm". Read more |
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