Distorted Strawberries - Ask Extension
My strawberries are small and distorted. Many appear to be “conjoined.” A Google search suggests that the “Tarnished Plant Bug,” which feeds o...
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Distorted Strawberries #876112
Asked July 06, 2024, 2:09 PM EDT
My strawberries are small and distorted. Many appear to be “conjoined.” A Google search suggests that the “Tarnished Plant Bug,” which feeds on strawberry blossoms, is the likely culprit. Do you have suggestions for how to prevent this damage? Thank You!
Polk County Oregon
Expert Response
Dear Laurel,
Thank you for contacting us about your strawberries. Extension indicates that fruit damaged by poor pollination will produce seeds of various sizes, while fruit damaged by tarnished plant bugs (lygus bug) has seeds all that are of a similar size. Looking at your photo, it appears that there may be some enlarged seeds along the periphery of the fruit. If you still have any fruits to check, examine the seeds to see if they give an indication of poor pollination.
Strawberries are pollinated by insects, wind, and gravity. Even though most strawberries are self-fertile, both pollination and yield can be enhanced by growing two different cultivars.
Tarnished plant bugs produce several generations each season, and the best time to monitor their populations is before you see damaged fruit. To scout for plant bugs, lay a white cloth or sheet underneath the plants and shake the plant to knock the insects onto the sheet. Adults are very small, about 1/4 inch. They are often found on the upper parts of the plant early in the day, before temperatures begin to increase, or in shadier areas of the plant during the warmer part of the day.
These bugs are fast, mobile, and resistant to chemical controls. Insecticides seem to be most effective if used when the bugs are in their initial stages of growth. This link includes a list of insecticides for HOME USE that may offer some control.
https://pnwhandbooks.org/insect/small-fruit/strawberry/strawberry-lygus-bug
Be sure to follow all instructions on the label exactly with attention to timing applications to avoid bees and other insects. Predatory wasps are the greatest natural predators of the tarnished plant bug. Big-eyed bugs, damsel bugs, minute pirate bugs, and several species of spiders all provide some control.
The best way to prevent TPB is to eliminate their over-wintering sites by controlling weeds and clearing plant debris before winter. Also, mow any cover crops in spring before they flower to prevent attracting TPB.
I hope this information helps you to confirm and correct the cause of your misshapen strawberries. Feel free to write whenever you have a gardening question.
Thank you for contacting us about your strawberries. Extension indicates that fruit damaged by poor pollination will produce seeds of various sizes, while fruit damaged by tarnished plant bugs (lygus bug) has seeds all that are of a similar size. Looking at your photo, it appears that there may be some enlarged seeds along the periphery of the fruit. If you still have any fruits to check, examine the seeds to see if they give an indication of poor pollination.
Strawberries are pollinated by insects, wind, and gravity. Even though most strawberries are self-fertile, both pollination and yield can be enhanced by growing two different cultivars.
Tarnished plant bugs produce several generations each season, and the best time to monitor their populations is before you see damaged fruit. To scout for plant bugs, lay a white cloth or sheet underneath the plants and shake the plant to knock the insects onto the sheet. Adults are very small, about 1/4 inch. They are often found on the upper parts of the plant early in the day, before temperatures begin to increase, or in shadier areas of the plant during the warmer part of the day.
These bugs are fast, mobile, and resistant to chemical controls. Insecticides seem to be most effective if used when the bugs are in their initial stages of growth. This link includes a list of insecticides for HOME USE that may offer some control.
https://pnwhandbooks.org/insect/small-fruit/strawberry/strawberry-lygus-bug
Be sure to follow all instructions on the label exactly with attention to timing applications to avoid bees and other insects. Predatory wasps are the greatest natural predators of the tarnished plant bug. Big-eyed bugs, damsel bugs, minute pirate bugs, and several species of spiders all provide some control.
The best way to prevent TPB is to eliminate their over-wintering sites by controlling weeds and clearing plant debris before winter. Also, mow any cover crops in spring before they flower to prevent attracting TPB.
I hope this information helps you to confirm and correct the cause of your misshapen strawberries. Feel free to write whenever you have a gardening question.
