Growing strawberries in the home garden, Insects & Wild life
- shidonnaravenc
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Source: University of Minnesota Ext.
Photo Source: Unsplash,
There are many different insect pests of strawberries. Some of these pests will be present every year, and some you will never see.
Most insect damage can be reduced by following the best practices mentioned above and:
Remove leaf litter to reduce the number of insect overwintering sites.
Remove weeds and keep lawns mowed as they can provide habitat for adults to feed and overwinter.
Renovate the patch to remove potential habitat and reduce insect numbers.
Frequently harvest crops to ensure ripe fruits are not in gardens for too long.
Remove and destroy any old fruit that remains on stems or that has fallen to the ground.
The most common insect pests of strawberries in Minnesota are tarnished plant bugs, strawberry bud weevils, slugs and flower thrips.
The tarnished plant bug feeds on developing flowers, causing deformed berries.
The strawberry clipper clips off flower buds in spring, thus reducing harvest.
Slugs feed on ripe fruit, leaving small, deep holes in the fruit and irregular holes in foliage.
Feeding by thrips causes berries to appear bronzed and seedy.
Spotted wing drosophila is a particular problem of ever-bearing strawberries and other soft fruits in Minnesota.
Wildlife
Rodents and birds may cause more trouble in home strawberry plantings than insects. Large holes in ripe fruit are a good sign that these creatures are enjoying your strawberries. Pick fruit as soon as it is ripe to prevent damage.
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Source: Evergreen Botany
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