Cutworms
Pest · Commonly affects: Tomatoes, Peppers, Cabbage and other cole crops, Beans, Sweet corn, Lettuce
Cutworms are the soil-dwelling caterpillars of several night-flying moths in the family Noctuidae, including the black, variegated, and dingy cutworms. They matter to gardeners because a single larva can fell a healthy transplant overnight, wiping out gaps in a newly set-out row.
How to identify it
Look for plump, soft-bodied caterpillars roughly one to two inches long in shades of gray, brown, greenish, or nearly black, sometimes with faint stripes or spotting and a slightly greasy sheen. When you disturb one it curls tightly into a C shape and plays dead. They hide just below the soil surface or under debris by day and feed after dark, so the clearest sign is a seedling clipped off at the ground with no insect in sight.
Damage
Surface-feeding cutworms chew through tender stems at or just below the soil line, toppling young seedlings and transplants that then wilt and die. Climbing types crawl up established plants at night to gnaw foliage, buds, and developing fruit, and because each larva may sever several plants in a row the damage can look like sudden, patchy losses across a bed.
Prevention
Rotate crops and avoid setting transplants into ground that was in grass or sod the previous season, since moths prefer to lay eggs in weedy, grassy areas. Keep beds clean of weeds and plant residue that shelter larvae and egg-laying moths, and cultivate the soil a week or two before planting to expose eggs and young larvae to weather and predators. Delaying planting slightly past the first flush of spring activity and giving plants well-spaced, healthy soil helps seedlings outgrow the vulnerable stage faster.
How to manage it
Protect each transplant with a collar pushed an inch or two into the soil, such as a cardboard tube, a paper cup with the bottom removed, or a foil wrap around the lower stem, which physically blocks the larva from reaching the stem. Scout after dark with a flashlight to handpick feeding cutworms, and when you find a clipped seedling dig gently in the top inch or two of surrounding soil to uncover and remove the curled larva responsible. Encourage natural enemies like ground beetles, parasitic wasps, and birds by keeping nearby habitat, water and cultivate consistently to keep plants vigorous, and clear away the daytime hiding spots in leaf litter and debris.
General guidance for US home gardens, focused on prevention and non-chemical control. For a confirmed diagnosis and options specific to your area, contact your local Cooperative Extension office. Page updated Aug 4, 2026.