I didn't find anything Thursday night. I had already sprinkled the Spinosid, though. It rained off and on all day Friday. I had to work today, so did not get the roll early. I went out this afternoon and the newspaper was dried up. So, I have no answers as of yet. I have not removed the top inch of soil. I will get Key West done tomorrow, for sure. It would take a lot of cutworms to hurt Francee, though. She's huge. I think she can fight her own battles. I'll report what I find. bk

If cutworms are what is actually doing the damage rather than something else then yes the stick along the stem works. Cutworms are a chronic problem for me but the only time I have lost a plant to one is when I have neglected to get the straw or stick in for some reason. As I said above this is new info but has been common knowledge among farmers and gardeners for over a century if not longer. :) And it is always possible that the small worm you see isn't the one that did the damage. I know some seem to really push the cardboard tube collars but that assumes the worm can't come up inside the collar or crawl over it. Dave

Dave, thanks for mentioning the fact that the cutworms have to encircle the stem to be able to start gnawing, b/c I didn't get a chance to do that last night. Martha,again, good to see you and IMO any kind of collars, yogurt cups and similar are not effective b'c the cutworms can still crawl up under them. I always used sturdy twigs, most of the time from last years Queen Annes Lace plants that were around and it did help/ For those who say that this or that worked, remember that there are those years when there are NO cutworms around so you can 't say that this or that method worked. The best prevention of all is to raise plants that have sturdy stems,plants that have been grown slow and cool.The cutworms prefer to go after wimpy stemmed plants first b/c those are the ones they can encircle the easiest. . Carolyn

FYI....more good news about the parasitoid wasps.....they can be found on any moth or butterfly larvae, not just the hornworms. I've found them on cabbage worms! Rober, you've been given very good advice about leaving the affected caterpillars where they are. Here's the lifecycle in a nutshell: the tiny Braconid wasp adult inserts the eggs into the caterpillar where they hatch amongst the organs and innards. The larvae feed on that stuff, all without us ever seeing the damage to the caterpillar. The cats, however, usually stop eating our plants while they are being eaten from the inside by the wasp larvae. When the tiny larvae are ready to pupate, they construct those cells outside of the body of their victim and eventually emerge as an adult wasp. Tada! By all means, bring one caterpillar in to observe, but allow the rest of those Braconids do their job of caterpillar control, generation after generation.