How to Identify and Control Cutworm Damage in Edible Mushrooms

The cutworm is one of the common pests and diseases in the process of cultivating edible mushrooms, also known as a leaf-chewing pest. For edible mushrooms, once this pest occurs, it is undoubtedly a relatively big blow to growers, basically resulting in reduced yield and quality. Let us take a look below at how to identify edible mushrooms infested by cutworms and what control methods are available.

I. How to identify edible mushrooms infested by cutworms?

The cutworm is mainly a harmful pest that feeds on edible mushrooms such as straw mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum), and hairy wood ear mushrooms. When eating these edible mushrooms, it excretes a large amount of contaminants onto the surface of the edible mushrooms and the mushroom beds, inducing infection by other miscellaneous fungi.

Different edible mushrooms show different symptoms when infested by cutworms. The cutworm larvae mainly gnaw at the front flesh of oyster mushrooms, leaving the skin on the back. When infesting reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum), they mainly eat the flesh of the cap, causing curved tunnels to appear inside. If they infest other mushroom varieties, irregular holes appear in the fruiting bodies.

II. What are the control methods for cutworm infestation in edible mushrooms?

1. Before using the mushroom house, it must be sealed off, and then professional chemicals must be used for fumigation, so that the cutworm eggs can be effectively killed and the occurrence of pest damage reduced.

2. New edible mushrooms and old edible mushrooms in the mushroom house must not be mixed together. After each season's harvest, the discarded materials must be cleaned up properly, and only after thorough disinfection measures are carried out in the mushroom house can edible mushrooms be planted again.

3. After cutworm larvae are found in the mushroom bags, trapping and killing can be chosen to eliminate the cutworms. First, dilute the insect and mite pesticide with water according to the instructions, mix it, and spray it on the mouth of the mushroom bag, mainly adding white sugar and white vinegar. Because the pests like to eat sweet and sour things, when they smell the sweet taste at the bag mouth, they will crawl out of the mushroom bag to feed on these chemicals and die.

If not many edible mushrooms are planted, after the larvae appear, chemical treatment can be carried out after harvesting the edible mushrooms. In this way, the cutworms in the mushroom bags can be effectively killed, and the moisture of the mushroom bags can also be replenished.

4. During the edible mushroom cultivation period, at intervals of four days, close the edible mushroom shed properly at night, and then fumigate the mushroom shed once more by fumigation. The sterilization effect is very good.

5. In the shed where edible mushrooms are cultivated, regular inspections and fumigation should be carried out. Then, during spawn production, plug the test tubes tightly with cotton balls, and then wrap a layer of kraft paper on the outside, which can effectively prevent pest invasion.

In summary, if edible mushrooms are infested by cutworms, the consequences are relatively serious and have a great impact on the yield and quality of edible mushrooms. Therefore, growers must usually pay more attention to measures such as sterilization and disinfection, and every step must be done well.