Armyworms Are Invading Oklahoma Lawns Again

It happens right in the middle of every summer, and 2026 is no different. Oklahoma is under attack from armyworms.

The Damage Happens Fast

If you've never dealt with them before, you'll get your chance. Scope out your neighbors' yards on your way into work. If their well-maintained yard that gets pampered with sprinklers on the regular is starting to show dead spots, that's the tell-tale sign.

Even in heat-stressed, dormant lawns that don't get irrigation through the triple-digit temps of summer, you can spot armyworms... It just takes a closer look.

It's normal to see a heat spot. Maybe there are some buried rocks and gravel, leftover construction stuff they decided to cover with soil, or a spot that just gets too much sun throughout the day. It's normal to get some yellow spots in a lawn, but heat stress is a slow process, and those spots grow very slowly.

If you notice your heat spot doubled overnight, it's time to defend your property against the horde of hungry caterpillars, and time is of the essence.

These caterpillars work incredibly fast. One day your lawn looks perfectly normal. The next, you've got brown patches spreading across the yard.

Now, if you don't want to mess with it, armyworms don't stick around forever, but the damage they inflict is stunning.

Will your Bermuda recover? Eventually, next spring, if you work diligently to encourage it with fertilizer and tons of patience... Or, you could just manage the worms. This early in their season, it's really easy.

The Good News Is They're Easy To Beat

Lawn insect treatments work the best, but you can also take a gentle route with homegrown mixes of soaps and stuff that will force them to the surface where birds can have a buffet. It really depends on how much energy you're willing to spend outside in the 105° weather. You can also have it treated. A web search will find your local contractor.

On that, the "gentle" way of treating them is the best way to diagnose if that heat spot is really armyworms. Mix some dish soap into some water, and slowly pour it over a brown spot. You'll know within a minute if it's worms or not. They'll pop up out of the ground, and you'll know what needs to be done.

Consider this your draft notice into Oklahoma's annual battle against armyworms.