Black worms in strawberries - Ask Extension
For the past few years there have been black "worms" eating cavities in our backyard strawberries. There are usually 3-4 in the cavity and t...
Knowledgebase
Black worms in strawberries #835174
Asked June 12, 2023, 11:41 AM EDT
For the past few years there have been black "worms" eating cavities in our backyard strawberries. There are usually 3-4 in the cavity and they move quickly as soon as the berry is moved, much faster than slugs. They are about an inch long when stretched out. Here is a link with a better photo than I took.
https://www.lifestyleblock.co.nz/forum/the-cooks-garden-kitchen/15546-black-worm-in-strawberry-update
They (or something similar) seems to occur in New Zealand.
Do you know what they are and/or how we might control them?
Benton County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Camille. I suspect that your small black worms are actually gray garden slugs. These guys can be quite small from 0.5 -.75 inches long. To be sure I suggest that you take some strawberry samples complete with the critters to the Master Gardener Clinic Table located inside the Sunset Building at 4077 Research Way in Corvallis for identification. We have a microscope to enable us to verify what your critter is. I searched the Pacific Northwest Insect Management Handbook online and did not find a small black worm as a strawberry pest in it in the United States. The website photo you sent in was from New Zealand. Here is a website from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources which shows an enlargement photo of one of these gray garden slugs on top a strawberry. https://ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/strawberry/slugs/
Please bring in a sample so that we can identify it and recommend some control measures for you.
Please bring in a sample so that we can identify it and recommend some control measures for you.
Thanks, I will do that. They taper at both ends and I can't see the stalks of a slug head. Plus they move really fast and stretch out more than slugs usually do. I also have slugs on the strawberries.
Camile, Slugs could be making the holes. It is common for other critters to exploit the holes that slugs make. Slugs usually retreat to cover when the sun comes up so you may have a combination of issues here. The microscope should reveal all!
