Cutworms in lawns
In turf, cutworms and armyworms hide in the thatch or a small burrow by day and clip the grass off near the soil at night. The damage shows as small dead or sunken spots, often around aeration holes. In New England the black cutworm is the commonest species. This is where the nematode fits best: the ambushing S. carpocapsae waits at the soil surface for mobile larvae like these. Apply it late in the day, not at midday, onto moist soil, and water it in straight away.
At a glance
- Damage
- Seedlings cut through at the soil line overnight
- Type
- Chewing
- Settings
- Garden, Field
- Threshold
- 5 larvae per yd² in a soap flush (UC IPM)
- Release
- Steinernema carpocapsae
- Rate
- 25 million S. carpocapsae per 1,000 ft² (about 270,000 /m²), onto warm, moist soil
How to confirm it
A seedling cut clean through at or just under the soil line, often with the top lying beside it. Run your hand over the soil and turn over clods within about a foot (30 cm) of the stump: a smooth grey, brown or black caterpillar that curls into a tight C when touched is a cutworm.
Identification, lifecycle, degree days and every control option are on the full Cutworms profile. Not sure it is this pest? Answer four questions about the damage.
Work it out
How many do I need?
Carries Steinernema carpocapsae and lawn & turf through so nothing is re-entered. Open the calculator →