Outbreaks
generally are more common in vineyards planted in sandy soil. Climbing Cutworms (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Cutworms are the larvae, or immature forms, of noctuid moths. Twelve species of cutworms are known to attack grapes in Ohio: Barnes climbing cutworm, Abagrotis barnesi (Benjamin); black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel); darksided cutworm, Euxoa messoria (Harris); white cutworm, Euxoa scandens; striped cutworm, Euxoa tessellata (Harris); Feltia subgothica (Haworth); Lacinipolia meditata (Grote); bristly cutworm, Lacinipolia renigera (Stephens); variegated cutworm, Peridroma saucia (Hubner); brown cutworm, Rhynchagrotis cupida (Grote); Rhynchagrotis placida (Grote); and wmarked cutworm, Spaelotis clandestina (Harris).
Cutworms
conceal themselves either under loose bark on the trunk or beneath the grape
trellis during the day, using weeds, stones or leaves as cover. They crawl up
the grape trunk on warm spring nights and chew on the swelling grape buds.
Damage to grape buds occurs most often in areas of vineyards where there are
weeds and grasses under the vines.
Outbreaks
generally are more common in vineyards planted in sandy soil.
There may be
more than one generation of cutworms each year; however, only larvae that occur
at bud swell are potentially damaging. Cutworm larvae occasionally are found in
the clusters at h
arvest
and may cause the processor to reject a load.
Current pesticide recommendations may be found HERE