Grub Control for Oklahoma Lawns

What Do They Look Like?

White or cream-colored, about the size of your fingertip, with a brown head and six small legs near the head. They curl into a C-shape when disturbed. If you dig in a brown patch and find these, you've confirmed your grub problem.

Why Healthy Lawns Are at Risk

Here's the irony: grubs actually prefer healthy, well-watered lawns. That beautiful green grass you've been maintaining? It's prime real estate for beetle egg-laying. Being a good lawn owner doesn't prevent grubs — it just means you have more to lose.

Expanding Dead Patches

Dead patches that grow over time as grubs continue to feed and develop underground.

Carpet-Like Turf

Grass that rolls up like carpet because there are no roots left holding it to the soil.

Animal Damage

Raccoons, skunks, armadillos, and birds dig up your lawn to eat the grubs, tearing apart turf in the process.

Costly Repairs

Weakened turf becomes susceptible to disease and weeds, and severe damage may require expensive re-sodding.

Visual Warning Signs

Brown patches in late summer or fall that don't respond to watering. Grass that feels spongy or loose underfoot. Patches that look drought-stressed even though you're watering properly.

Wildlife Activity

Increased bird activity on your lawn. Animal digging, especially at night — skunks, raccoons, and armadillos love grubs. Chunks of turf scattered across your yard in the morning.

The Tug & Dig Tests

Tug test: Grab grass at the edge of a brown patch. If it lifts like carpet with no resistance, you likely have grubs. Dig test: Cut a 1-sq-ft section 3 inches deep. More than 5–10 grubs per square foot means you need treatment.

Late Spring – Early Summer (May–June)

Apply preventive grub control. Products containing imidacloprid, chlorantraniliprole, or similar ingredients create a soil barrier that kills grubs as they hatch. This is the ideal window — stop the problem before it starts.

Summer (June–July)

Adult beetles are flying around, mating, and laying eggs in your lawn. You'll see June bugs bumping into your porch lights. Eggs are hatching and tiny grubs begin feeding.

Late Summer – Early Fall (Aug–Sept)

Grubs are larger and feeding heavily — damage becomes visible. Curative products like trichlorfon or carbaryl can kill existing grubs, but are less effective than prevention. Lawn repair will also be needed.

Fall to Winter

Grubs burrow deeper as soil cools, becoming harder to treat. They overwinter in your soil and resume feeding briefly in spring before becoming adult beetles and starting the cycle again.

For Prevention

Products containing imidacloprid, clothianidin, or chlorantraniliprole, applied in late spring to early summer, create a soil barrier that kills young grubs as they hatch. Professional-grade products used by Complete Lawn Care typically provide more consistent results than consumer products.

For Existing Infestations

If you already have grub damage, products containing trichlorfon or carbaryl work faster but have a shorter residual effect. Apply in late summer when grubs are feeding near the surface and water in immediately after application.

Important: Water It In

All grub control products must be watered into the soil to reach the grubs. Apply before rain or irrigate with at least 1/2 inch of water immediately after application. Product sitting on dry grass won't reach the grubs below.

Step 1: Confirm the Problem

Use the tug test and dig test to confirm grubs are the cause. Don't assume — disease, drought, and dog urine can cause similar symptoms.

Step 2: Apply Curative Treatment

Apply curative grub treatment and water it in thoroughly. Kill the grubs before repairing the lawn, or they'll destroy the new grass too.

Step 3: Verify & Repair

Wait 1–2 weeks to confirm treatment worked by digging again. Then rake out dead grass and overseed (Fescue) or let Bermuda spread naturally. For large areas, sodding may be more practical.

Step 4: Prevent Next Year

Apply preventive grub treatment the following late spring to avoid repeating this expensive cycle. Proper timing is everything.