Pest Profile

Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org Frank Peairs, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org

Common Name: Army Cutworm, Miller Moth

Scientific Name: Euxoa auxiliaris

Order and Family: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae

Size and Appearance:

Length (mm) Appearance Egg

Larva/Nymph 40mm Light brownish-grey head with pale brown spots. Body is pale grayish with white splotches and brown-tinged top line. Lower portion of body has darker, top-lateral stripes and an indistinct band of white splotches. Adult Forewings are grey or light 38mm – 50mm brown with variable wavy dark and light markings and a distinctive kidney-shaped marking. Hindwings are light gray-brown with whiteish fringe. Pupa (if applicable) Dark brown, bullet shaped case 12mm – 22mm found in soil.

Type of feeder (Chewing, sucking, etc.): Chewing (larvae), Siphoning (adult)

Host plant/s: The army cutworm overwinters as partially grown larvae in the soil, and feeds on weeds and grasses. In the spring, the larvae feed on young plants and crops. Many turf, forage, ornamental, and vegetable plants are attacked, particularly cabbage and tomato transplants and corn seedlings. Wheat, alfalfa, sugarbeets, and canola are also host plants of this insect.

Description of Damage (larvae and adults): Early signs of army cutworm activity are indicated by cut plants. The larvae cut off small plants at or near the soil surface and feed on them during the night. Army cutworm injury appears as semi-circular areas eaten from the edge of the leaf, or as holes chewed through the leaf. In field crops, damage usually appears as skips or sections of rows where all plants are missing.

References:

Army Cutworm, Euxoa auxiliaries (n.d.). Oklahoma State. http://entoweb.okstate.edu/ddd/insects/armycutworm.htm

Cranshaw, W. (2004). Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide To Backyard Bugs. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

Cranshaw, W. (2010, January 5). Army Cutworm. Retrieved January 10, 2016, from Colorado State University: http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4dmg/Pests/cutworm.htm

Whitworth, J., Haag, L., & Falk Jones, J. (2014, March 21). Army cutworms in wheat, alfalfa, and winter canola. Retrieved January 10, 2016, from Kansas State University Research and Extension: https://webapp.agron.ksu.edu/agr_social/eu_article.throck?article_id=189