I hope you're wrong, too. I remember the "Great Miller Plague" of '91...

How will you deal with this problem in the garden, Jali?

digitS'

Well, Steve, since they are from army cutworms, the damage in the garden has already been done by the time the millers become a nuisance. The wheat fields that didn't blow out during the winter with the bad wind and dry conditions have got a fair amout of the cutworm damage that is showing up.

The millers just wreak havoc on anyone trying to sit on the porch or sit under a lamp. They are a major pain in the caboose for a few weeks. They amuse cats and dogs endlessly though.

Ahh, these aren't your garden-variety cabbage moths, eh?

Cutworms have never been too much of a problem here. I find that some of these critters are especially devious. Don't I recall that some cut worms will also spend time as corn earworms?

Surprising how folks in many parts of the country can basically ignore flea beetles. They will do so much damage here that you may have zero brassica crops at all. The damage some years on eggplant and tomatoes will eliminate the chance to have fruit from those plants, also. But, besides the damage they are doing to the leaves and fruit, their larva are carving up your plants' roots. Arghhh!

S'

A few years back, there was an enormous peak in the local cut worm / miller moth population, and they were destroying the wheat fields, pasture, and lawns. I didn't have any, but those who did said that you could go out at night, shine a flash light, and see thousands of cut worms out on the grass.

Anyway, when it came time to fly up to the mountains, there were clouds and clouds of the things for a couple of days. Impressive.