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Help! Grannies are eating my strawberries
theshedman
Posts: 3
Coming back from holiday I find that grannies (wood lice) have been eating my strawberries. I know it's them as when I picked the fruit up they were falling out. The strawberries are not on bare earth, they are outside and have straw under them. Any help in how to deal with these little blighters would be appreciated.
Thank you
0
Posts
Hi the_shedman, woodlice only go into strawberries when they have already been damaged - they don't have jaws strong enough to pierce the skin and normally only feed on rotting vegetation in the leaf-litter. Something else is munching on them, the most likely being slugs/snails or blackbirds and then the woodlice are taking advantage.
Woodlice are attacking my strawberries too. They moved in after my husband used the old straw we used to cover the tree ferns for the winter to put under the strawbs. Unfortunately this was a great environment for them. I removed it but too late, they're everywhere. I've googled th his and found its common and uncertain as to whether they can do damage alone. In my garden I use slug nematodes so I believe the pesky woodlice are doing it by themselves. I am now clearing away pots, large stones and weeds near them which is unearthing quite a few. Hopefully that'll help.
Every time I see this thread appear I have the mental image of old ladies in cardigans ploughing through your strawberry plots with their walking frames chomping away at your strawberries. It makes me giggle every time!
hi Shedman, I posted a very similar post a few weeks ago. I have sorted the slug/snail problem c/o some organic pellets and the damage seems to have minimalised dramatically (the recent dry weather probably helps too).
I am now filling one of those ply fruit boxes every other day with strawbs - far too many for my and the hubby to eat so we are giving some away to friends and family and the rest to a friend who is a local publican (in exchange for a couple of free meals at the end of the season!). They will be able to say that the strawberries are local (about 800 food yards!).
Jam.
Thanks - Have been looking at some lovely recipes (I think I know what everyone is going to get for Christmas in that case!)
I successfully freeze my surplus every year. I don't think there will be a surplus this year, as I have hardly any left. I too have a problem, the berries have been takeN off the stalks and are laying uneaten around the plant before they are anywhere near ripe. I have used bio-degradable collars instead of straw for the first time this year. My mother thinks it's earwigs that live under the collars during the day. Any suggestions?
I really did think you meant they were in hanging baskets over a fence and old ladies were picking them off on their way to the shop! Sorry to be so daft but at least im honest! Never heard woodlice being called grannies before.
Oh yes, good luck with the strawberries.x