Black Cutworm – Agrotis ipsilon

Black Cutworm   Scientific Name:  Agrotis ipsilon Common Name: Dark sword grass, black cutworm, greasy cutworm, floodplain cutworm, and ipsilon dart. Appearance:  Black cutworm has darker forewings than hindwings. The forewings are long, narrow and dark brown in colour with irregular dagger-like markings. The hind wings are white or grey in colour. It is comparatively larger, with a maximum wingspan of about 55 mm. Its larva may be grey, white, or black in colour with rough granules throughout the body. In the early larval stages, its body appears slimy as well. Host Plants or Food: Black cutworm lives off a wide variety of plants, especially vegetables and grains. This includes corn, alfalfa, cotton, strawberry, and tobacco. The larvae mainly feed on weeds such as bluegrass and yellow rocket. The adults feed on plant nectar of flowers such as wild plum and lilac. Territory: Throughout North America, Asia, Europe, Western USA, Eastern USA, Australia Mode of Damage:  As the name suggests, they are leaf chewers and cut holes in the foliage; usually in young seedlings. It may also act as a stem and twig damager. Habits and Life History: Black cutworm is commonly found in temperate areas of the world, especially where crops are grown or in a recent flood area. Female worms lay eggs in clusters on the leaf, stems, or even near the base. They can lay a total of 1200 to 1900 eggs. The eggs hatch in 3 to 6 days, giving rise to larvae. The larvae move underground during the day and come out at night to feed on the foliage. It completes its life cycle in 35 to 60 days. Depending upon the weather conditions, it may produce two to four generations per year.