What's eating my wild strawberry?

Wild strawberry attracts the same pest complex as cultivated types but is generally tougher and less intensively managed. Spider mites, slugs, and strawberry bud weevil are the chief threats. Birds and small mammals — chipmunks, deer mice — are significant fruit consumers. The small berry size makes spotted wing drosophila infestation almost certain once adults are flying.

Leaves take on a silvery, speckled appearance; severe infestations cause early leaf death and runner die-back in dry summers Predatory mites; avoid drought stress; remove heavily infested foliage; insecticidal soap as a last resort — avoid harming beneficial insects

Tiny larvae inside ripe or slightly over-ripe berries; fruit collapses and ferments; small berries are fully infested very quickly Harvest as soon as berries redden; fermented-bait traps to monitor; spinosad if populations are high at ripening time

Adult clips flower pedicels, causing buds to droop and die before opening; each clipped bud contains a single larva — reduces fruit set significantly Spinosad or pyrethrin spray at bud-swell when adults are active; row covers over the planting during bloom; destroy clipped buds

Fruit is taken whole from the plant or eaten in situ; can remove virtually all ripe berries in a wild patch overnight Wire-mesh cages or bird netting for managed plantings; wild patches are generally shared with wildlife as part of the habitat role