Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Ripe Strawberries eaten at night

sharonannthorpesharonannthorpe Posts: 6
in Problem solving
My strawberries are under netting and on straw and I have checked under the straw for slugs and didn't find any.  Only the ripe parts of the strawberries were eaten last night and quite big bites so thinking it can't be the microscopic insect that camouflages itself under the top leaves.  I'm thinking field mice, cockroaches (doesn't bear thinking about) I've attached a pic, any ideas?  
I know you seasoned gardener are probably bored with newbies asking these questions  and I did check the other posts just thought with the picture evidence someone can pin point the offender.  I guess part of me thinks I should just get a night camera and find the culprit and stop whingeing but you all know how it feels when your first crop of something nice is eaten over night.  

«1

Posts

  • matt_fendermatt_fender Posts: 169
    I don't know the culprit (but mice sounds plausible), but I do agree that it is not slugs. I get slug issues with my strawberries, and the holes are usually smaller with a larger cavity inside the strawberry. Also, slugs invariably attack from the bottom and, unless you have moved your strawberry for the picture, yours has been eaten from the top.
  • sharonannthorpesharonannthorpe Posts: 6
    Thanks Matt no not moved the strawberries, good detective comments :)  I'm going to put some mice traps down tonight but thinking the night camera is a good idea just need to convince the non-gardening partner ;)
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    My strawbs are also netted and ripe. This morning I found one half eaten about a foot from the netting - I'm guessing mice

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • sharonannthorpesharonannthorpe Posts: 6
    yes my money is on mice, the missing areas were quite large. thank you both.  I'm just going out to set the traps up.  We have an open field behind us so this was probably asking for trouble putting the fruit cage down that end.  I'll let you know what I get in the morning.  
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    When we grew strawberries outside the culprit was a badger. They love strawberries and sweet corn.
    We now grow them in the polytunnel and are able to eat them all ourselves.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Netting or mesh is kinder to nature than just killing mice to save a few strawberries. Or just plant extra and accept the inevitable losses as part of the natural order of things. Wood mice no doubt help keep slug numbers down in your garden as well as other pests that might also damage strawberries. I used to net my gooseberries because birds were stealing some, then I found gooseberry sawflies were stripping the bushes of all the leaves. I removed the netting and the birds ate the sawflies. Now I have twice as many bushes and everyone gets a share of the fruit.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited June 2020
    When I grew strawberries I once found our very sheepish looking labrador stuck under the netting, having wriggled his way there to eat the strawberries ... they're all after them! 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    I originally bought my trail camera for recording wildlife (especially hedgehog) visits but have found it absolutely wonderful for positively identifying all sorts of fruit and veg thieves, during both day and night!  I can now tell you for certain that sparrows and greenfinches will eat pea, lettuce, young chard (a particular favourite it seems) and young brassica leaves, just about everything will eat unprotected strawberries and that more than 50% of the seed in my bird feeders goes into the bellies of squirrels!
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • sharonannthorpesharonannthorpe Posts: 6
    good point @wild edges but I wasn't thinking of killing them just trapping them for the night and releasing in another field the next morning, thinking more of a B&B arrangement.  But good point growing surplus.  They must be getting in under the netting. I have a fruit cage and because I also have the odd muntjac I have netting on all my raised beds too just the fruit cage is not on a raised bed and next to the open field so it is their first port of call.  This is my first year growing anything ever so every day is a school day but thank you all for replying here been super helpful.  The thing I have found with netted cages is the steaking into the ground with the hooks is a real pain if you want to get in there so thinking of a better way to 1. secure it around the beds and 2. easy to get access to the veg.  I bet you have some great footage @BobTheGardener :)
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    I suspect you'll find it's voles especially if you have open land behind you.
Sign In or Register to comment.