Things You'll Need:
- Cornmeal
- Molasses
- predatory nematodes
- Bacillus thuringiensis (caterpillar killing bacteria)
- Sawdust
- Paper cups
- predators
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Step 1
Even though this dosen't consist of actively killing the cutworms this will help in the long run. To remedy your cutworm problem just create a physical barrier between the cutworms and the plant in question. This can be accomplished by placing cardboard ( a cup will do) around the stem of the plant. Since the cutworm can't get to the stem no damage can occur.
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Step 2
All right down to the killing part. Cutworms are active at night and stay in the soil by day. First the hand picking method, in the evening take a mixture of inseciticidal soap and water and just spray it around your plants. Watch for the little cutworms to appear (see picture above for what you are looking for). Just dispose of them how you wish.
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Step 3
Next take cornmeal and sprinkle madly around the garden. Cutworms are incapable of digesting this tasty little treat, but can't seem to stop eating it. Overeating of cornmeal for a cutworm results in death and no more cutworms.
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Step 4
To follow this up you may want to take a mixture of molasses, sawdust, water and wheat bran and encircle your plants in it. As the cutworm crawl to their fiendish little deeds they must cross this line. As they cross they will become entangled in the sticky molasses making them helpless. Another barrier to consider is oak leaves, crushed eggshell or damp wood ashes as they all irritate the skin of the cutworms. Remember to reapply.
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Step 5
Also you may want to look into treating your plants with an extract of pineapple weed or sagebrush. This also irritates the cutworms and causes them not to like your plants ( hypothetically, I haven't seen this or actually have done this).
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Step 6
Onto predators. These consists of a wide range of things. You will want to encourage toads, moles, shrews, blackbirds and meadow larks to frequent your garden as they all feed on cutworms. Also look into tachinid flies, braconid wasps as well.
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Step 7
Predatory nematodes are a good choice as they are caterpillar specific and will not kill your plants like other nematodes will (look in garden centers, they may not be approved for sale in your area). Also the bacteria mentioned in the things you'll need list, Bacillus thuringiensis is another widely sold natural application.
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Step 8
The final step is two fold. One kill the adults. The adults of cutworms are in the family noctuidae and are known as miller moths. Yes those guys produce cutworms. Just hang a bug zapper and your problems are solved with the adults.
Also to kill the eggs and overwintering larva you will want to deep plow or till in the fall and again in the spring. To increase effectiveness with this method use chickens in the lot when you do this, they find cutworm eggs and larva quite tasty.
Comments
billips said
on 5/20/2009 You have certainly come up with a lot of good suggestions for controlling the work of those pesky cutworms - their work can be so devastating - well-written useful article - 5* - B.