Cutworms maybe bad this year in Colorado!
by Whitney Cranshaw and Frank Peairs
Colorado State University Extension Entomologists
Prediction of Nuisance Problems with Army Cutworm (a.k.a. “Miller Moth”)for April 17, 2013
CUTWORM
There have been several reports that the larvae of the army cutworm are unusually abundant in the High Plains this spring. This poses risk to infested crops, but is also a good predictor of the population size of the adults (“miller moths”) to be expected as these insects complete development and make their annual migration to the higher elevations. Based on the stage of cutworm larvae present, adults will appearin about a month, but the peak of the migration will not pass through the Front Range until a bit later (end of May, early June).
Weather, particularly temperature, affectsthe onset and duration of miller moth flights. Moisture and the abundance of flowering plants will also impact the numbers of miller moths seen.
However, it is predicted that the annual migration of army cutworms (“miller moths”) across the Front Range in late spring 2013 should be well above average.
Here is the information on cutworms:
