Dining and Cooking
What is eating my strawberries?
In Vegetable Gardening

What is eating my strawberries?

So many are getting eaten. I'm thinking birds.

by northcarolinabirder

37 Comments

  1. Significant_Crab2054

    Yikes!!! This happened to me & it ended up being possums

  2. Some-Curve-920

    I’ve had the same problem. Ended up being my toddler.

  5. BostonFishGolf

    It honestly doesn’t matter what. Your solution is more or less the same regardless. Fencing, or other defense.

  7. northcarolinabirder

    We have an 8′ deer fence around the area.

  8. scholargeek13

    Possibly slugs, especially if it’s been wet lately. They decimated mine last year because it rained non-stop for several weeks.

  9. ScarletSpeedster82

    Birds. Happened to me last year until I got some netting put over my raised beds. Didn’t have a problem after that.

  10. gottagrablunch

    Better question is what isn’t eating them.

    Birds, slugs, ants, insects… all happy to chow down

  12. KitsuneMiko383

    Last picture is rodent teeth. Squirrels most likely.

  16. kiln_monster

    Birds, earwigs, mice…? Set up a trail camera!!!

  18. pomona1974

    I’ve had problems with rolly-pollies eating my strawberries.

  22. Single-Basil-8333

    Some rodent looking for water. Leave out a bowl. Seriously. That’s why they didn’t take the entire strawberry.

  23. Semphotography

    I got some green mesh bags that once they start forming I put my strawberries and blueberries and large tomatoes in that way they can ripe on the vine but don’t risk being eaten

  24. Enough_Turn_5020

    I’m in North Carolina (8a), too, and for me it was pill bugs. They looked like that. Some would start with smaller holes, but some would just be devoured.  For two years I barely would get a handful of strawberries. I tried making traps, protective collars to place under them, and they were too close together to use those things that raise them up. Nothing worked. They were like a plague of locusts. Then last year the earwigs joined in and I gave up, got two big tower planters and moved everything over. Now I’ve just lost some leaves to the earwigs and I’m staring to let the flowers set fruit. 🤞

  25. Artistic_Head_5547

    I mix Diatomaceous Earth and BT in my puffer and lightly dust the strawberries about once a week. Makes a huge difference.

  29. Street_Butterscotch7

    Looks like a self-inflicted pest: children 😂

    I say this because my son will sneakily swipe the raspberries right off the bushes, leaving none for jam.

  30. igrowblooms

    I’ve caught little wild box turtles eating strawberries at my farm

  31. poopknife22

    Due to all the leaves in your strawberry bed my money is on slugs or rolly pollies. Set some beer traps and do some torch hunting for slugs at night time and see if it’s them.

  37. northcarolinabirder

    I haven’t seen any bugs, including pill bugs. D the pill bugs come out at night?

    I guess I’ll get landscape fabric to put down under the plants where the berries grow.

    I have pine straw. Would that attract pill bugs or slugs or invite a different problem?

    Thanks to everyone!!!

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