When should you treat turf grass for cutworms?

• A. There is no set time; watch for damage
• B. In early spring only
• C. After the first frost
• D. During late autumn

Answer: (A)

Treat turf grass for cutworms when you actually detect feeding damage or find the larvae, not on a fixed calendar date. Cutworms can be active at different times across spring, summer, and fall, and they feed mainly at night while hiding by day, so outbreaks can occur unpredictably. The right approach is to scout regularly, look for irregular brown or thinning patches, and only spray when you’ve observed damage and reached the action threshold, using products labeled for cutworms and following the label directions. Fixed windows like early spring, after the first frost, or late autumn miss outbreaks that occur at other times, so monitoring and threshold-based decisions are essential.