Field studies were conducted in 1979 and 1980 to determine whether differences exist in feeding behavior between black cutworm,Agrotis ipsilon(Hufnagel), larvae reared 1, 12, and 24 generations. Larvae were released on corn at three developmental stages (coleoptile, two leaf, and four leaf). Damage was more severe during the coleoptile stage. Also, corn seedlings in the two-leaf stage had significantly more damage than corn in the four-leaf stage of development. Irrespective of corn developmental stage, however, more damage occurred on corn after weed seedling removal than on corn adjacent to weed seedlings. The feeding behavior of larval populations of black cutworm reared for one or multi-generations in the laboratory was not significantly different