Is this a cutworm

went back today to try to find some of these critters. The other day there were loads but only found a couple today . Maybe the rain has put them off. As mentioned in my earlier thread my plot has been vacant for years with couch grass the only thing growing.

 

They look like moth larvae, so yes. Not 'C' shaped enough to be chafer grubs.

 

I think cutworm. Legs not long enough for chafer and hairy back indicates not leatherjacket

 

They could be either. Sorry I have a follow on question. Whatever the critters are there were loads where I was digging at least 20 or 30. At the time I left them as I didn’t know what they were but now I think I don’t want them there I dug the patch over again and only found a couple which I relocated. So where did they all go. Have they gone down much deeper ready to come back when I plant my veg and munch away at the roots. I can’t believe that they all wriggled away in a day. As they were burrowing I doubt if they all got eaten by birds. So will they still be there and should I water with that nematode solution before I plant ?

 

It's not just birds that eat tasty morsels like that....frogs, toads, hedgehogs, moles, martens and foxes too. I'm not sure whether covering overnight with a plastic sheet would work as it does for slugs and snails, bringing them to the surface, but worth a try? IME, nematode success is so dependent on temperature and humidity that it fails more often than it works.