horseweed worm n Also horseweed grub; abbr horse [ horseweed n 3] chiefly MI, IN, KY
= ragweed worm n.
1934 Indianapolis Sun. Star (IN) 5 Aug 5/4, Whitley [Co.]— . . Bluegill fishing good with horseweed worms best bait. 1936 Detroit Free Press (MI) 19 Sept 18/2, Crickets and a white grub called the horseweed worm, that lives in the stalk of the horse weed are two other lures that tempt the panfish of that area [=area of Coldwater MI]. 1942 IN Dept. Conserv. Investigations Lakes 2.220 cnIN, Standard baits used by cane-pole bluegill fishermen are earthworms, crickets, catalpa worms and horse-weed worms. . . Horseweed worms are moth larvae found burrowing in stems of Ambrosia trifida or other coarse herbs. 1945 Courier–Jrl. (Louisville KY) 10 Aug sec 2 6/5, Newlights have started biting, . . and they seem particularly fond of horse weed worms. And the big bream will fight you for a “horse” anytime. 1948 State Jrl. (Lansing MI) 2 July 25/6, [Advt:] Last winter’s sensational bluegill bait, the horse-weed grub is available at the Fishermen’s Shanty. 1965 Kokomo Morning Times (IN) 22 Oct 8/1, Another caterpillar . . is the horseweed worm, a common stalk borer. In season these grayish white “worms” have no peers as bluegill getters. 1969 News–Jrl. (Mansfield OH) 16 Mar sec C 11/4, Horseweed worms are preferred by some old-timers [for ice fishing]. 1991 Republic (Columbus IN) 26 May sec D 5/1, In addition, fields, streams and woods contain many different kinds of fish bait for the angler who prefers to catch his own: hickory nut worms, horseweed worms, leeches, crayfish, hellgrammites, minnows, cockroaches and catalpa worms. 2005 in 2020 DARE File—Internet KY, My Grandparents and I used to cut, what my GrandPa called “horseweed”, to get worms. Smaller, immature worms were a coppery brown/white striped grub . . while a fully mature one was almost solid white. He called them “Horseweed worms”. What the “Horseweeds” actually were, was “Giant Ragweed” plants. . . Here’s a link to the “horseweed worm” that I know . . which is actually a “Common Stalk Borer” (first picture). The second picture (Dectes Stem Borer) looks something like the adult “horseweed worm” (common stalk borer) that I remember. 2012 Ibid IN, Are you guys talking about Horse Weed Worms?? We used to get them all the time when I was a kid.