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Webworm
injury is similar to that caused by cutworms. Plants are cut off at or just
below the soil surface and holes are chewed in the leaves. Larvae make webbed
tunnels near the base of the plant and down into the soil. Damage is most severe
in corn following sod or in very grassy fields. Larvae are dark brown to black
and have a dark head. Along the body are numerous polished tubercles (warts)
with long hairs. The insect overwinters as small larvae and there are two or
three generations per year. The Corn Root Webworm adult moth is pale
brown, between 1/2 to 1 inch in length, and has a pronounced projection from the
front of the head; the projection from the head has given them the name of snout
moths. Larvae are whitish, thick-bodied, between 1/4 to 3/4 inch long, and can
often be found in silk-lined tunnels in the soil.
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