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Are you noticing signs of pests enjoying your strawberry plants?
What kind of insects are they? Are they beneficial or harmful?
How can you control them?
If all these questions are your worries, then this article is for you. We will enlighten you on all the common strawberry plant pests that you should keep a close watch on and how best to control them.
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Most Common Strawberry Plant Pests
There are lots of pests out there just waiting to chomp on your strawberries and they are as follows:
1. Two-Spotted Spider Mites
Two-spotted spider mites are a type of pest that feeds on leaves which in return can trigger a reaction in the strawberry plant and can improve strawberry quality in small numbers.
However, when the population of the pest expands too much, then your strawberry plants will be in danger.
To protect your strawberry plant from being destroyed by this pest.
You have to start by planting companion plants that can repel them or attract predatory mites or parasitic wasps.
If the population of two-spotted spider mites becomes too high, you can also use a strong stream of water to spray them off the strawberry plant leaves.
Insecticidal soap or pesticides are also very effective against two-spotted spider mites though, it can also affect beneficial insects that help the plant. So, it is important that you use them as a last resort.
2. Strawberry Bud Weevils
Strawberry bud weevils which can also be called a strawberry clipper.
This is so because after eating the immature pollen and laying an egg inside the bud, the females will clip the buds off the plant.
They tend to look like small, reddish-brown bugs with black spots on their backs and long curved snouts.
In order to get rid of this pest, you must start by first removing all infested flowers, including any that have fallen to the ground.
Then, spray the whole plant with an insecticidal soap. Most times, it might take repeated applications for all the strawberry clippers to be destroyed.
To speed the process of ridding your plants of these pests, you can handpick the adults or mature ones and drop them in soapy water.
Another approach that you can try is to apply sticky tape to the soil around the strawberries or the inside edges of the plant or raised bed.
After the treatment in order for it not to resurface again, you need to avoid overwatering your strawberry patch and also, keep your garden tidy by removing fallen leaves, grass clippings, and overgrowth.
3. Armyworms
Armyworms attack many plants including strawberries.
They chow down on strawberry crowns and the tender leaves of the young plants.
You can easily recognize them since they’re green, brown, or black moth caterpillars with yellow stripes down the length of their bodies.
To get control of this pest, you have to pick them off by hand and drop them in a bucket of soapy water.
You can also spray the plant with an insecticidal soap, or treat the area with diatomaceous earth.
4. Loopers
Loopers, which are also called inchworms, are small green caterpillars with narrow white stripes along the sides. They move by arching their back so the two ends of their body meet, temporarily forming a loop.
When they chew a plant, they can leave large holes in the strawberry plant’s leaves thereby damaging their ability to photosynthesize.
So, the best way to get rid of this pest is by picking them off by hand and dropping them in a bucket of soapy water.
You can also spray them with insecticidal soap.
You can also try inviting assassin bugs, parasitic wasps, and bug-eating birds to your garden.
Furthermore, try planting pollen and nectar-rich flowers near your strawberry patch to attract them.
5. Japanese Beetle
These types of beetles are easy to spot; they have a green-copper metallic color and measure 13mm in length.
The adult Japanese beetles attack the leaves and cause flower damage.
So if it is left untreated, these pests will cause extensive plant damage.
So it is recommended that you should try using a floating row cover to protect your plants from these pests, and if you spot the adult beetles, you can hand-pick them off the plants and stick them in soapy water.
You can as well release parasitic nematodes which can also reduce the number of the beetle overwintering in the soil.
If it is getting excessive, you can consider spraying your plants with neem oil or insecticidal soaps. These can help to reduce the beetle populations.
6. Cyclamen Mites
Cyclamen mites are destructive black-white or brown bugs that are too small to see without magnification.
They usually eat up the whole strawberry plant down to the ground.
So, it is important that you get rid of them before they destroy your entire strawberry patch.
To easily do so, you should keep an eye on the dark, streaked, folded, and curled leaves.
Getting rid of cyclamen mites is very difficult because they are resistant to many chemical pesticides and can hide in the folds of flowers and leaves.
So the best preventive major is by keeping a vigilant eye on your strawberry bed and removing affected plants quickly.
Afterwards, you can treat the soil with an approved chemical pesticide.
If your strawberry plant is potted, you can remove the affected parts of the plant and submerge the plant and its pot in 110-degree water for 30 minutes to kill any remaining mites.
If your mite infestation is very minor, you may be able to remove the affected parts of the strawberry plant and wipe the rest of the leaves with rubbing alcohol to control it.
Then, after a few hours, you can rinse the plant well. Do well to observe the plants and repeat the process if it persists.
For the early stage, you can prevent these problems by avoiding introducing them to your strawberry garden on purchased plants.
You can Invite six-spotted thrips, predatory mites, and minute pirate bugs to your strawberry patch by planting pollen and nectar-rich flowers.
But most importantly, you should avoid the use of pesticides.
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7. Slugs
These pests cause irregularly shaped holes in the leaves and stems of the plant.
It also eats holes in the ripening fruit, and during severe infestations, slugs might shred the leaves.
So, to control this pest from eating more deeply into your plants, you need to form the habit of removing garden trash, weeds, and debris which will help to reduce slugs because it takes away their hiding places.
At night, you can handpick the slugs off of your plants and spread eggshells around the plants to discourage these pests.
8. Thrips
If you have a thrip infestation which is the appearance of a white spot on the leaves of the strawberry plants, you can start by removing the infested parts of the plants.
Shake off as many bugs as you can onto a cloth under the leaves but be careful not to shake them into the soil as they will just climb back onto your plants.
Once you’ve removed as many thrips as possible, place blue sticky straps in your strawberry patch. Use blue as opposed to yellow because they’re attracted to the color blue.
Another method is by using minute pirate bugs which are excellent allies in the fight against thrips.
You can also attract them with pollen and nectar-rich flowering plants like marigolds and cosmos early in the growing season.
9. Cutworms
Cutworms feed on the leaves and stems of strawberry plants closest to the ground. This can bring about a reduction in the size of the crown which can lower fruit yield. Fall transplants are most at risk for cutworm damage.
So, if you want to get rid of this, you have to start by firstly picking the adult pest off by hand and dropping them in a bucket of soapy water. You may choose to spray with a mixture of dish soap and water.
But be careful not to spray around the base of the plant.
You can prevent the pests by controlling weeds and removing plant detritus where they lay their eggs.
You can also try applying aluminum foil or cardboard collars around transplants several inches below and above ground.
Furthermore, you can spread a layer of the coffee grounds, eggshells, or diatomaceous earth around the base of each plant to deter them.
10. Aphid
These small, light-colored, soft-bodied bugs can cause all sorts of damage when they cluster on tender young strawberry leaves which include growth distortions and yellowed or dropped leaves.
They can also pass diseases to your plants.
To kill aphids, you can try mixing vinegar with water at a 1:3 ratio and spray it on your strawberry plants.
Be careful to cover the stems and undersides of the leaves where aphids like to hide.
After the first application, do well to repeat the process a week later to kill them all.
Using Insecticidal soap spray is another effective alternative that you can try.
There is a saying that the best offense is a good defense.
So instead of waiting for the pest to attack, you can start off by preventing it ahead of time.
You can do so by using slow-release fertilizers rather than quick-release high-nitrogen fertilizers.
You need to use plant alliums nearby because aphids hate the smell of onions and garlic.
Furthermore, plant umbellifers and flowers rich with pollen and nectar should be used to attract ladybugs and lacewings which will eat the aphids before they become a problem.
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11. Fruit Flies
This is one of the pests that attack strawberries before and after picking. The adults lay their eggs in the fruit and the larvae attract cockroaches. They don’t bite humans but these are insects you don’t want around.
Fruit flies are easy to control if you notice an infestation.
All you need to do is to fill a dish or jar with small holes in its lid part way with apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap.
Place it in the garden to attract and drown these small bugs.
Avoid the use of chemical pesticides without contacting your county extension agent because of possible environmental dangers.
You can prevent this from occurring ahead of time by making sure that you harvest often.
Dispose of any rotten fruit since it attracts the pest.
Also, you can avoid fertilizing with manure during fruiting to discourage female fruit flies from settling into your strawberry bed.
12. Tarnished Plant Bugs
These bugs can cause catastrophic damage even in small numbers.
Both adults and nymphs feed on strawberry plants, targeting buds and young developing fruit.
Though, they are usually very difficult to eradicate so your best course of action should be to prevent them from visiting your strawberry patch in the first place.
You can do so by cutting weeds in mid-spring while the first generation is still young so they don’t migrate to your strawberry patch.
Avoid mowing alfalfa and other crops that attract tarnished plant bugs while your strawberries are flowering.
Plant pollen and nectar-rich flowering plants attract tarnished plant bug predators like minute pirate bugs. Big-eyed bugs, damsel bugs, and some types of spiders also attack these destructive insects.
13. Strawberry Sap Beetle
These beetles can cause serious damage to your strawberry crop. They bore ripe or damaged fruits and lay their eggs inside.
Though, the beetle damage will be easy to identify as small but deep holes similar to slug damage. They may also introduce fungal diseases which can further damage your crop.
The good news is that it can be easily controlled with homemade bait traps, though pesticides are ineffective.
Firstly, you should place a bucket or other steep-sided container several feet away from the strawberry bed.
Fill it with a few inches of stale beer; a mixture of water, molasses, and yeast; vinegar; or a mixture of water, a drop of liquid dish soap, and a few pieces of any overripe fruit.
The beetles will crawl in after the bait and drown. Discard the bait and beetles every few days and refill the traps until you stop catching bugs.
To Prevent these problems, you need to form the habit of harvesting often and removing overripe, damaged, or diseased strawberries as you see them.
Common Strawberry Diseases
Below are the common strawberry diseases that you should watch out for in your garden and take precautions ahead of time to prevent it from spreading through your garden.
They include:
1. Powdery Mildew
This is one of the most common fungal diseases that you’ll find throughout your garden.
It causes patches of fuzzy white fungal growth on the lower leaf surfaces that eventually enlarge, and you might find purple-red blotches on the lower leaf surfaces.
If powdery mildew takes over your plants in a severe form, your plants might produce no fruits at all.
The spores overwinter on leaves and spread easily by the wind.
To treat this disease which is the most effective is by applying a protective fungicide at the first signs of the disease.
2. Anthracnose
Anthracnose is a fungal disease that causes round black or light gray lesions on leaves, but the foliage may not die.
It also causes dark brown or black, circular lesions on the stems. This disease causes a range of signs and symptoms.
This disease is usually hard to control but you can try out solarizing the soil as well as weeding plants regularly.
It can help!
3. Angular Leaf Spot
This is a bacterial disease that causes small, water-soaked lesions to form on the lower surfaces of the leaves on your strawberry plants.
This bacterium survives in the debris of your crops and overwinters on the plants. It survives for long periods on the debris, but it won’t live in the soil.
So, If you water your plants, the bacteria spreads through the splashing water on the leaves.
Getting rid of this disease is difficult, if not impossible.
It is better to plant only smart certified disease-free stock and to rotate your crops.
You can use any form of chemical control that will be totally ineffective against this bacterial disease.
4. Leaf Scorch
This is a fungal disease that causes irregular dark purple or brown blotches on the upper leaf surfaces.
Over time, leaf scorch causes larger purplish-brown patches, and the tissue between the blotches might turn purple or red.
Also, leaf scorch causes lesions on the flowers and fruits as well. It happens most often when the foliage stays wet for a long time. It might cause petals to wither and drop off the plant, and it causes the death of the fruits.
So to help your plant to suffer from this disease, do well to ensure your strawberry plants have a good air circulation and soil drainage.
You can also apply a foliar fungicide that may provide enough control in this situation.
5. Gray Mold
This is a common fungal disease that causes strawberry blossoms to turn brown and die.
It also causes a misshapen and rotting patches on the fruit.
You will find masses of gray mycelium on the rotting tissue, and eventually, the fruit becomes dried and mummified.
Gray mold emerges after periods of high humidity and moisture.
So, controlling the weather is impossible, though you can control the environment.
All you need to do is to water the soil level and keep plants well-spaced.
You have to also remove and destroy all the dead or infected material and toss any decaying fruits away.
You can as well apply fungicides as a good measure against it, though, there is no guarantee they’ll work but it is worth trying.
FAQs
1. What Are The Most Common Pests For Strawberries?
Western flower thrips (WFT) are a major insect pest of strawberries.
Both larvae and adults can damage strawberry flowers and fruit.
2. What Do You Spray On Strawberry Plants?
Use a homemade spray made from garlic or hot pepper mixed with water to spray plants.
You can also use a neem oil or a citrus-based insecticidal oil to prevent infestations.
3. What Are The Best Pesticides For Strawberries?
You should look for active ingredients in chemical pesticides appropriate for strawberries, such as pyrethrum, captan, and malathion.
Organic options include the active ingredients spinosad or bacillus thuringiensis.
4. What Are Common Strawberry Plants Issues?
They include: Red stele, black root rot, powdery mildew, botrytis fruit rot, leaf spot, and leaf scorch.
Strawberry plants are most susceptible to disease-causing organisms when subjected to stress.
5. How Do You Control Pests And Diseases In Strawberries?
You can control it by removing and destroying all dead or infected material.
Also, remove decaying fruit; grow fruit under plastic; use plastic mulch to reduce fruit contact with soil; apply appropriate fungicides; plant in areas where the wind will rapidly dry wet plants and fruit; and plow crop debris into the soil after harvest.
6. Can You Spray Soapy Water On Strawberry Plants?
You may choose to spray with a mixture of dish soap and water but be careful to spray around the base of the plant especially well.
7. Can I Spray Neem Oil On Strawberry Plants?
Bonide Neem Oil Concentrate is safe on edibles including strawberries up to the day of harvest
8. How Do I Protect My Strawberries From Bugs Naturally?
The trick to keeping your strawberries pest free is to make sure they do not touch the ground, or soil.
Adding layers of Tui Strawberry Straw is ideal.
Also, make sure you have good ventilation inside your greenhouse, air movement helps prevent mildew issues too.
You aim to keep the soil just moist but not waterlogged.
9. What Are Eating Holes In My Strawberries?
The pest that eats deep holes in strawberries is the slugs or snails.
Just as strawberries ripen, slugs are notorious for chewing holes in them. If you have mulch especially organic mulch-like straw around your strawberries, this gives the slimy things a perfect hiding place
10. What Disease Or Pests Threatens The Growth Of Strawberries?
Anthracnose is one of the most common strawberry diseases and is also hard to control.
Gray Mold causes strawberry blossoms to turn brown and die. It also causes rotting patches on the fruit.
Leaf Scorch is a fungal disease that causes irregular dark purple or brown blotches on the upper leaf surfaces.
Final Verdict
Early prevention is very much better than cure. You can start today to start watching out for all these pest and disease symptoms which we have listed out for you while in your garden.
If you happen to notice any of these signs, do well to start taking the necessary measures immediately through either the use of natural or artificial methods.
If this article was helpful, do well to share this page with your friends and on social media. We are also open for questioning if you have any.
