This has been a very unusual year for my strawberries. They are the June bearing variety. We did not get as many berries this year as last and I noticed that they were extreemly small but very sweet so I wondered if they had cross polinated with the wild sweet strawberries that grow so abundantly here. After they were done with fruiting I cleaned them up and gave them a mulch of well rotted composted steer manuer. The drought caused them to look dead but I watered them and they came back. Then we had a few nights of frost in september so most of the leaves died back. We have since had an unseasonably warm fall and they seem to think that spring has sprung.Tons of new huge leaves and I noticed that they were setting on fruit again last week. Looked at them today to see how they were doing and found some very large and ripe strawberries on the plants so started to pick them only to discover that all of them were semihollow inside with sow bugs eating their little hearts out. I have neve had sow bugs in my strawberries before and am wondering why now and how to safely get them to move out. Today I cut off 90% of the new leaf growth and cleaned out all of the dead and dying leaves. I put clean brown paper strips under all of the berries and am going to cover them for the night with a sheet because it might freeze tonight. Anybody know how to deal with sow bugs in strawberries? Eileen
Eileen-- It's been a while since I grew strawberries but I seem to remember that a little diatomaceous earth went a long way to keep the pests away. I do remember that when I was organic everyone else was still using Kelthane commercially(now banned...) and the berries tasted like kerosene but they were mite free. Since sow bugs have sort of fat bodies it should work, can't hurt to try. You've done everything else right so far. Good Luck! Bramble
Help! Sow Bugs in my strawberries!
Posted - Oct 15 2004 : 2:24:41 PM
with sow bugs eating their little hearts out.
I have neve had sow bugs in my strawberries before and am wondering why now and how to safely get them to move out. Today I cut off 90% of the new leaf growth and cleaned out all of the dead and dying leaves. I put clean brown paper strips under all of the berries and am going to cover them for the night with a sheet because it might freeze tonight.