SCOTTS BLUFF COUNTY – Army cutworms have been spotted in Kansas and Nebraska crop fields, making this is an important time to scout for this pest, particularly in wheat and alfalfa.
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SCOTTS BLUFF COUNTY – Army cutworms have been spotted in Kansas and Nebraska crop fields, making this is an important time to scout for this pest, particularly in wheat and alfalfa.
Of the many cutworm species in Nebraska, the army cutworm is the most damaging in western Nebraska. Economic damage from other cutworms, such as the pale western cutworm, dark-sided cutworm and variegated cutworm, is rare. The army cutworm damages alfalfa, wheat, sugarbeet, canola, and various rangeland grasses. There have also been reports of army cutworm feeding on pulse crop seedlings, such as field peas and chickpeas.
How army cutworm
caterpillars spend the winter
Because army cutworms overwinter in Nebraska as larvae in the soil, they are one of the first caterpillars to be seen in the spring. Last year, in late September and October, army cutworm moths laid their eggs (females are capable of laying 1,000-3,000 eggs) directly on bare soil, such as in newly planted winter wheat or heavily grazed patches of range.
sAfter rainfall, these eggs hatched over an extended period, leading to a variety of caterpillar sizes that continued feeding and developing as long as temperatures were adequate (approximately higher than 45 degrees F).
When the weather turned colder, the caterpillars burrowed down into the soil to spend the winter. Now, caterpillars are emerging from the soil on warmer days to feed (left photo).
However, scouting fields for this insect in the coming days could be good prevention.