Black Cutworm 2 7 



This pest often attacks cranberry bogs seriously when the winter flood 

 has been held till late May or later; also commonly in late July and early August 

 after removal of the long late'spring and earlysummer grub reflow. In both 

 Massachusetts and Washington, it also sometimes harms new plantings seriously 

 by girdling vines in the hills at the surface of the ground. The small worms 

 usually begin to appear eleven or twelve days after the water is let off. The 

 black cutworm sometimes works with the spotted cutworm and also with the army- 

 worm and with the fall armyworm. 



Distribution and Food Plants 

 Important outbreaks of this pest have occurred in Arkansas, Indiana, Oregon 

 and India, 2^ on lands which, having been overflowed, became drained at a lime 

 favorable to egg-laying by the moths. It inhabits nearly the whole civilized world. 

 Apple, asparagus, bean, beet, cabbage, chicory, cotton, corn, grape, grass, 

 onion, potato, spinach, squash, strawberry, tobacco, and tomato are among its 

 food plants. The worms devour each other and spotted cutworms greedily. 



Character of Injury 

 This worm works on cranberry vines much as the armyworm does (p. 32). 



Description and Seasonal History 



The life history here has not been traced thoroughly. There seems to be much 

 irregularity in it. The insect winters as a worm in various stages of growth 

 and sometimes as a pupa. The moths are active from late May till late October. 

 There are probably two broods in this State, the moths of the first being most 

 abundant in June and July and those of the second in August and September. 

 Egg I'lying occurs in June and July — probably throughout most of those months. 



THE WORM 



In its early life this caterpillar usually is mostly a rather indefinite 

 greenish brown or gray in color, the green element being due to the food in the 

 worm rather than to dermic pigment. When more mature (Plate Two, fig. 5), it 

 is mostly dark brown or sooty gray on the back and sides and grayish below. A 

 rather indefinite and inconspicuous broad stripe of somewhat lighter brown 

 usually runs along the back. The head, the neck shield, and the spiracles are 

 mostly black. There are 6 to 8 in stars. 



These worms have a peculiar disgusting appearance that has been described 

 as "greasy." They are about an inch and a half long when mature and often are 

 very active in the afternoon. 



THE MOTH i ' ' 



The moth (Plate One, fig. 10) expands nearly one and threcfourths inches. 

 The head is mostly reddish brown. The collar is sooty gray with a transverse 

 line of black. The front part of the back is sooty gray. The breast is light 

 gray. The hind part of the body is pale brownish above and light gray below. 

 The forewings are mostly sooty above with a few inconspicuous black markings, 

 the outer third of each being light brown. They are pale brownish underneath. 

 The hindwings are pale with brown shades toward the margins. 



-'■ Agrotis ypsilon (Rott.). Also known as the "greasy cutworm.' 

 =s Rockwood, L. P., Jour. Econ. Ent. IS (5):7]7, 1925. 



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