Cutworm damage to mature, properly maintained lawns is usually not severe, but they can damage newly seeded lawns to such an extent that you have to reseed. If you see cutworm damage in your lawn, apply a control product in the evening, when they are most active.

Do cutworms damage grass?

Cutworms can damage turf when burrowing through the thatch or into the ground. At night they emerge and chew stems and blades near the soil. The damage may appear as circular spots of dead grass, finger-sized brown crescents or ball marks on a golf green (Figure 5).

What causes cutworms in grass?

Cutworms are the larvae of the cutworm moth, which lays its eggs in clusters in grass at night from spring through fall, depending upon the type of moth. The adult moths are attracted to light, so cutworm invasions often happen on lawns surrounding well-lit homes when the eggs hatch a few weeks after they're laid.