Something is eating our strawberries!

Joined
Feb 1, 2015
Messages
23
Reaction score
7
Hardiness Zone
5a
Country
United States
I'm a beginner, but one thing I'm sure of is that I don't want to use chemical pesticides in our garden. How can I protect my strawberries so the kids can enjoy them instead of the bugs? I'm looking for something easy to apply even if it needs to be done multiple times. Am I supposed to be using some sort of barrier between them and the ground?

Thanks.
 
Joined
May 26, 2014
Messages
32
Reaction score
22
Hardiness Zone
7b/ 8a
Country
United States
If the plants are strong enough they will naturally elevated the strawberries and hide them unde the leaves and off the plant floor. For my young strawberry plants I'll slide some wax paper under the strawberry to encourage them to stay away from the ground. I have a decent bit of success sprinkling diatomaceous diligently on the plants when they are dry. It's a dehydrator that works well on small insects that like strawberries, particularly ants. For larger culprits eating strawberries I got nothing yet. Have three strawberry plants and not a great yield myself this year :(
 
Joined
Feb 1, 2015
Messages
23
Reaction score
7
Hardiness Zone
5a
Country
United States
Do you know what bugs are causing the damage?

No, I haven't seen them in action yet. Just finding entire berries gone and bites taken from others. The ones that are partially eaten have a "row" removed, as though it moved along eating as it went, if that helps I.D. it at all.

If the plants are strong enough they will naturally elevated the strawberries and hide them unde the leaves and off the plant floor. For my young strawberry plants I'll slide some wax paper under the strawberry to encourage them to stay away from the ground. I have a decent bit of success sprinkling diatomaceous diligently on the plants when they are dry. It's a dehydrator that works well on small insects that like strawberries, particularly ants. For larger culprits eating strawberries I got nothing yet. Have three strawberry plants and not a great yield myself this year :(

I'll get some wax paper out there right away, thanks!
 
Joined
Feb 2, 2014
Messages
11,476
Reaction score
5,580
Location
La Porte Texas
Hardiness Zone
8b
Country
United States
No, I haven't seen them in action yet. Just finding entire berries gone and bites taken from others. The ones that are partially eaten have a "row" removed, as though it moved along eating as it went, if that helps I.D. it at all.



I'll get some wax paper out there right away, thanks!
That doesn't doesn't sound like insects. That sounds like mice, rats or maybe squirrels
 
Joined
Apr 3, 2015
Messages
154
Reaction score
107
Location
Ct
Hardiness Zone
6A
Country
United States
Oh no! We do have a thriving chipmunk and squirrel population... I have no measures in place to keep them away, what should I do?
I'll assume you would shy away from any lethal means, so perhaps you could try sprinkling powdered cayenne pepper around the plants you want to protect (and re-do after rain). Another option would be various repellants you could get at big box hardware or local hardware stores.
 
Joined
Feb 2, 2014
Messages
11,476
Reaction score
5,580
Location
La Porte Texas
Hardiness Zone
8b
Country
United States
Oh no! We do have a thriving chipmunk and squirrel population... I have no measures in place to keep them away, what should I do?
I don't know of anything short of shooting them. You might get a bunch of sticky traps and set them out. I doubt if they will mess with your strawberrys with a piece of cardboard stuck to their foot.
 
Joined
Feb 1, 2015
Messages
23
Reaction score
7
Hardiness Zone
5a
Country
United States
I'll assume you would shy away from any lethal means, so perhaps you could try sprinkling powdered cayenne pepper around the plants you want to protect (and re-do after rain). Another option would be various repellants you could get at big box hardware or local hardware stores.

I don't know of anything short of shooting them. You might get a bunch of sticky traps and set them out. I doubt if they will mess with your strawberrys with a piece of cardboard stuck to their foot.

I wouldn't want to kill them, just repel them, so cayenne may be our only hope then! Thanks all. :)
 
Joined
Feb 1, 2015
Messages
23
Reaction score
7
Hardiness Zone
5a
Country
United States
Kill the buggers.
Kill them all.
Use napalm if necessary.
Fried strawberries are nice.
Nah. Protect them with chicken wire.

Too funny! :LOL:

I don't remember if chicken wire comes in different "gauges" or not, but this got me to thinking - what about a fabric type mesh? The holes are quite small - no animal could get through it, and I have some that I could cut to size and rubber band around each plant. I might just try that unless anyone thinks it would be problematic for any reason.
 
Joined
May 7, 2014
Messages
27
Reaction score
2
Location
PA/NJ Zone 6
I've seen birds and squirrels take strawberries. But I have no problems sharing my harvest with the wildlife as long as they don't take them all. I also have slugs and pillbugs(also called potatoes bugs or woodlice) eat some strawberries. Again, they only damage a small portion of berries so I don't worry about it. For my plants the first year or two was the worst. Now I get so many strawberries I don't worry about the few I've lost. I do use DE sometimes if I need to and it helps with some insects. For animals like deer and squirrels I make up a hot pepper spray. It will not work for birds. Birds don't get that hot burning sensation that mammals do. But the spray is simple. The hottest hot sauce I could find, mine has ghost chillies. Mix some, probably a tablespoon or two with a couple of cups of water, a few drops of dish soap and an egg. Sometimes I also add some chilli powder too. I don't do exact measurements. Mix it all together and strain with a mesh sieve. Spray plants as needed and after rain. You will have to wash the berries good before eating unless you like hot strawberries. I've found that the animals learn quickly and you will not have to apply this much after they get a taste. In fact the deer have left my yard alone, I haven't had to spray at all this year and very little last year. Even though all the houses around me had deer stripping their gardens. I personally would not put out glue traps. They animals will die a slow painful death if they get them stuck on them. I have no problems with killing them if that what is needed. But IMO, do it quickly.
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
26,589
Messages
256,654
Members
13,263
Latest member
ProNailComplex

Latest Threads

Top