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Tampa Cutworms   arrow

If you’ve ever grown a garden in Florida, you’ve probably seen this pest. Today, we’re talking about one of the more voracious pests you’ll find in your garden. That’s right, today’s subject is the Tampa Cutworms, and a few natural methods of pest control to deal with them.

Tampa Cutworms: Overview

Cutworms are one of the most frustrating pests you can have in a Florida garden. They’re the larvae of night flying moths, which are themselves harmless. But the worms? They’re less than harmless. So let’s go over what you can do to protect your turf.

Identifying these pests won’t be easy as you think it will. Different species of cutworms come in a wide range of colors. Many are dull, earthy colors such as black, brown, grey, or tan. Others, however, can be pink or green. Some have spots, other stripes, and even soil hues. In general, the cutworms won’t get more than 2 inches (5 cm.) long and if you pick them up, they curl into a C shape. And even you can identify them, Tampa cutworms are hard to spot either way. These pests hide in the soil during the day, and at night they come out and feast on the base of your plants.

Some, however, climb up to feed higher up on the plant stems and the damage, in that case, will obviously be higher.

Most species pass the winter in soil or under garden waste as young larvae. In the spring, as temperatures warm, they become active and begin feeding on plants at night remaining hidden during the day. The larvae molt several times and when fully grown pupate in the soil (late spring). Within one week moths emerge and begin laying hundreds of eggs mostly on stems and leaves. One to five generations per year, depending upon the species. Pest populations vary greatly from year to year. When numerous, cutworms can destroy up to 75% of a crop.

Cutworm Damage:

The damage that Tampa cutworms inflict happen mostly at night. These caterpillars feed by clipping off seedling stems and young plants near or just below the soil surface. Often, an entire row of newly planted garden vegetables will be cut off during the night. Different cutworm species will climb plants doing damage to foliage, buds and shoots. Cutworms are also known to gouge potato tubers. Late season cutworms will tunnel in fruit.

Cutworms, like their close cousins’ armyworms, will also frequently attack turfgrass. The damage they inflict on grass — cutting off blades at the crown — is usually more dispersed than damage from army worms. Cutworms favor golf courses where they cause “ball mark” pockets of dead and missing turf both on fairways and putting greens. This can even lead to your everyday lawn, leaving you with dead patches in front of your home.

Preventing Tampa Cutworms

The old knowledge is simple stuff. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” And it holds up to this day. To start with, let’s go into some ways to prevent cutworms in the first place.

  • Before planting a new garden remove weeds and plant debris that might feed and shelter developing larvae.
  • Turn the soil after fall clean up then give birds and other predators a chance to pick off the exposed larvae and pupae.
  • Mow as closely as possible to the edge of your garden to give cutworms less to feed on and less shelter near your plants.
  • A three-foot wide (or more) bare-soil strip between your lawn and your garden plants makes it harder for larvae to reach your plants. It also gives you more of a chance to spot them.
  • Wait as late as possible before setting out starts. Cutworms go on the move early in the growing season. Give them a chance to starve before you put out dinner.
  • Place cardboard collars (or milk containers with the bottom cut out) around transplant stems at planting time. Be sure to work the collar into the soil at least an inch or two.
  • Plant sunflowers along the edge of your garden. Sunflowers are a favorite target of cutworms. The plants will attract the larvae giving you a chance to pick them from the ground before they head to your corn.

Dealing With An Infesation

So here we are, the end of the line. You’ve got an infestation of Tampa Cutworms. Where do we go from here? Well, the first thing I’d suggest is employing a licensed professional. One that uses natural methods, since chemical pesticides have been so often proven to be dangerous to our health. Otherwise, here are some tips for you if you choose to go it alone.

For one, seeing many feeding birds in your yarm may indicate that you have cutworms in the turf. Think about it, they wouldn’t be there for no reason. They’re there to eat! Secondly, go through your garden with a flashlight, a glove, and a mission. Handpicking caterpillars after dark is a good way to cut down on their numbers. You’ll find more of them out after a rain or thorough watering.

Another way to tackle this is to try and slow the progress of the worms. Tampa cutworms don’t like dry soil. Watering in the morning, and cultivating your garden’s walkways is a good way to go. This soil will dry more quickly and trap moisture beneath it. Mulch, however, would shelter the worms. Also, consider introducing beneficial insects like nematodes into the spring soil. These will attack and destroy the underground cutworms and are best applied the season AFTER the infestation has been identified.

And finally, there’s something I like to call “scatter methods”. This is basically scattering different materials in your yard like diatomaceous earth to irritate the worms. When you scatter this around the base of young plants it sets up a barrier to larvae. Diatomaceous earth, the fossilized, abrasive remains of prehistoric sea life, literally lets you draw a line in the dirt that’s deadly to any larvae that pass over.