Black worms eating strawberries

momoese · 05-21-2012, 06:28 PM

I have been finding ripe berries with holes in them for a few years. The culprits are these little black worms that look like flatworms but don't have the hammer head and are pitch black. Here is a blog that has photos of them. The only way I've found to keep them off the ripe fruit is to pull the berries out and lay them on top of the leaves. Anything even close to touching the soil will be eaten.

What are they and how do I get rid of them?

caliboy1994 · 05-21-2012, 08:28 PM

They almost look like leeches. Did you try the apple cider vinegar?

momoese · 05-21-2012, 08:41 PM

Not yet, but that's mostly because I really don't like the smell of vinegar, and this garden area is up wind from the kitchen window.

Maybe I'll just get some straw and place it around the plants.

05-21-2012, 06:28 PM	#1 (permalink)
momoese Banana grower momoese's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Zone: zone 10 Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 7,590 BananaBucks : 47 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,754 Times Was Thanked 10,888 Times in 3,311 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 729 Times	Black worms eating strawberries I have been finding ripe berries with holes in them for a few years. The culprits are these little black worms that look like flatworms but don't have the hammer head and are pitch black. Here is a blog that has photos of them. The only way I've found to keep them off the ripe fruit is to pull the berries out and lay them on top of the leaves. Anything even close to touching the soil will be eaten. What are they and how do I get rid of them?

05-21-2012, 08:28 PM	#2 (permalink)
caliboy1994 <div style="font-style: italic;"><div style="font-style: italic;"></div></div> caliboy1994's Photo Gallery Location: SFV, California Find me on the map! Zone: USDA zone 10a; Sunset zone 18/19 Name: Andreas Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 2,301 BananaBucks : 261,845 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,474 Times Was Thanked 2,196 Times in 1,148 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 236 Times	Re: Black worms eating strawberries They almost look like leeches. Did you try the apple cider vinegar? __________________ "The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings." ~ Masanobu Fukuoka Find me on linktree here as Solarpunk Farmer: https://linktr.ee/solarpunkfarmer

05-21-2012, 08:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
momoese Banana grower momoese's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Zone: zone 10 Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 7,590 BananaBucks : 47 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,754 Times Was Thanked 10,888 Times in 3,311 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 729 Times	Re: Black worms eating strawberries Not yet, but that's mostly because I really don't like the smell of vinegar, and this garden area is up wind from the kitchen window. Maybe I'll just get some straw and place it around the plants.

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