I've been digging up my mom's yard and finding cutworms and grubs all over the dang place. Especially grubs. In Ohio it was rare to find grubs in the soil at my ex's house, but up here in my mom's yard they are everywhere. I had cutworms down there, too, possibly more than up here. Not looking forward to dealing with the Japanese beetles that are a nuisance up here, but were rare down in Ohio. Slugs weren't a problem down there and hopefully they aren't up here.

Karen

I didn't want to hear that, especially after last year.

bk

I found two cutworms in a pot but not a hosta pot. I saw the leaves chewed up, felt around on the soil, and be-whillakers, there was a couple of brown dirt-colored cutworms.

I did not squash them, I just took them to the bird feeder for hors d'oeuvres......the wild birds raise babies on protein.

Good grief, yes...I was turning a few beds and found dozens of them hibernating, just waiting to spring to life and gobble anything they find. Grr. I handed my intrepid three-year-old a trowel and a bowl and set her to hunting down the "mean worms" while I trimmed down ornamental grasses. She kept at it for hours! She left the bowl out for the birds. We have some fat robins around here, that's for sure!

We are new to this house, and I've never dealt with cutworms en masse before. What control measures (aside from child labor) are effective??

I wasn"t going to clean out the beds too much this spring, just let the leaves lay, as mulch in anticipation of a dry summer. But I think now I will, at least right around the hostas. Maybe the flock of robins that inhabits my woods will help take care of those nasty cutworms. Still want to try cedar mulch around them also. If cedar repels clothes moths, stands to reason it would repel other moths and caterpillars too.

Sandy

This might be useful - hopefully you eat eggs and drink coffee!

I'm always looking for 'natural' solutions and have noticed that cutworms LOVE Canna. Where I have planted them near hostas they leave the hostas alone. The only problem is that the Canna usually come up after hostas have emerged.
Theresa