Black cutworm (top) and dingy cutworm (bottom)

All field corn should have been scouted for black cutworms and their injury, especially in southern and northwestern Iowa. See ICM pages 63-64 and 70-71 for details on scouting and thresholds. Dingy cutworms, up to 1 inch long, were commonly found in many western Iowa counties the week of May 19-23, but no confirmed sightings of black cutworms were reported. Dingy cutworms are climbing cutworms that feed almost entirely on leaves; they seldom cut seedling corn. It is imperative that cutworms be correctly identified before any rescue insecticide is applied to a field. Spraying populations of dingy cutworms is an unnecessary expense for the farmer.