Darksided Cutworm – Euxoa messoria

Dark sided Cutworm – Euxo amessoria Common Name: Dark sided Cutworm Latin Name: Euxo amessoria Appearance:

• The greyish-brown abdomen of the dark-sided cutworm, Euxoa messoria (Harris), bears a thin, dark grey stripe on either side, immediately above the spiracles.
• About 1.2 to 1.4 inches (30 to 35 millimetres) long and five millimetres broad makeup adult larvae.

Damages caused by Dark sided Cutworm. Young dark-sided cutworms may crawl up plants to eat the foliage, leaving the plant leaves looking chewed. More immature larvae may chew small, translucent “windows” in developing leaves. Older cutworms may sever plants between one inch below and two inches above the soil’s surface. Most cutworm eating occurs at night and spends the daytime close to the soil’s surface. Cutworms may be present if plants are wilted, damaged, or dead. Life history and Habits: It is an insect that appears in the early seasons and only has one reproduction each year. The adult greyish-brown moths are seen in the late summer and early fall. In the soil, female moths lay their eggs in late July and early August. These eggs don’t hatch until the next spring when the air starts to warm up. The larvae eat and develop until the end of June when they pupate in clay cells close to the soil’s surface.