An Introduction to Nematology, published with his wife May Belle Hutson Chitwood, was a major contribution to the field.

[1] Chitwood identified the species Globodera rostochiensis on Long Island in 1941 and as part of his work on higher classification revised the taxonomy of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita in 1949.

[1] From 1928 to 1931, Chitwood also was employed full-time as a junior nematologist, under the supervision of Nathan Cobb, in the Division of Technology and Nematology of the Bureau of Plant Industry in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

When a fire destroyed his laboratory at the USDA station, along with the irreplaceable manuscript of his book on the genus Rhabditis, some suspected that it might have been intentionally set.

[5] After holding various minor positions, he was appointed as the first chief nematologist of the Florida State Plant Board in February 1955.

[1] Benjamin G. Chitwood died of a heart attack, on November 19, 1972, ending a career that had a profound influence on nematology for more than 40 years.