Oklahoma Farmers Report Massive Army Worm Invasion Threatening Grass and Pastures

Oklahoma agriculture experts said armyworms are invading Green Country even more than usual this year, plowing lawns down to the dirt and leaving the grass dead until next season.

A feed store manager in Sapulpa said there are solutions, but people need to be proactive to stop the worms. Armyworms have been spotted tearing up lawns and pastures across Green Country. They are hard to see and hard to get rid of.

Armyworms work quickly and plow across lawns in formation, just like an army, taking out lawns and other plants.

“They just mow your grass down; they'll take it down to the dirt,” said Curt Johnston.

At the Farmers Feed store in Sapulpa, Manager Curt Johnston said customers have been coming in droves to purchase armyworm killer chemicals.

“It seems this year was quite a bit more, and I don't know," said Johnston

Johnston said the worms are often not even spotted until they become moths, and at that point, it is too late. The moths can lay up to 1000 eggs in one night, and those worms are capable of destroying entire fields.

“We've been selling quite a bit of chemicals, there's a few that will get the armyworms,” he said.

Lawn care companies are also buying up supplies. We talked to several lawn care companies across Oklahoma who say they are working quickly to prevent them and stop them but said this year is worse than usual.

“This year, they’re extremely bad,” Johnston said.

Armyworms will die after the first freeze, but until then, experts recommend keeping your lawn cut short and re-treated for the worms since they will come back.