I noticed what looks like cut worms on some of my zucchini plants. This is what I did: I took a knife and cut the worm out, then I sprayed neem on the base of the plant. Then I wrapped a paper cup around the stem and pushed the dirt up close to it.
Is this the right thing to do?
Hmmm....something tells me that what you more than likely have is not a cutworm, but a squash vine borer (SVB). [url=https://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1209.html]Here[/url] is a pretty good article on them. If you catch the plant in time, there may be hope for saving it. What you said you did sounds perfect.