How to Prevent Worms Larvae in Strawberries?

[harpanddulc]

I have had a terrible problem with my strawberry patch this year. I am told that it is caused by a certain fly which lays eggs on/in the berry. I pick a beautiful berry and out climbs a little white worm (larvae). I had a bumper crop of berries this year, but they are virtually inedible. Is there something I can do to the soil at the end of this summer to prevent this from reoccurring next summer? Also, I am quite new to raising strawberries. Do I cut back the plants at the end of the season or just let the winter do it for me?

[JONA878]

Hiharpanddulc.
It may be that you are suffering from this pest that we have just started to see this side of the pond. It appears to be in the States already.

Growers of soft fruits like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries are being warned the pest is probably already attacking crops here. The spotted wing vinegar fly is just 2-3mm long but can also pose a threat to harder fruit like apples and pears. The tiny Asian fruit fly - the spotted wing vinegar fly known as drosophila suzukii - devastates soft fruit crops. It has been found in Kent.The tiny Asian fruit fly - the spotted wing vinegar fly known as drosophila suzukii - devastates soft fruit crops. The particularly nasty pest wrecked £300 million worth of crops in California alone the first year it was discovered there.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... ustry.html

[webmaster]

Which state are you in? If it's OFF you may need to call a local Food and Agriculture Department official to report it so they can identify what you have and if necessary use a non-pesticide solution such as MAT (Male Attractant Technique), which involves releasing sterile males of the species into the affected area, effectively causing extinction within two life cycles.

Here's a Maine web page about Asian fruit fly called Spotted Wing Drosophila - Drosophila suzukii, a fruit fly that attacks soft berries. Here's a photo of Asian Fruit Fly worms:



The article linked to above discusses Oriental Fruit Flies (OFF). Here's a California Government fact sheet about Oriental Fruit Fly (PDF).

Female OFF lay eggs in groups of 3 to 30 under the skin of host fruits. A single female can lay more than 1,000 eggs in her lifetime. Maggots tunnel through the fruit, feeding on the pulp. They shed their skins twice and emerge through exit holes in approximately 10 days. The larvae drop from the fruit and burrow two to three cm into the soil to pupate. In 10 to 12 days, the adults emerge. The newly emerged adult females need 8 to 12 days to mature sexually prior to egg laying. With an advanced infestation, breeding is continuous, with several annual generations. Adults live 90 days on the average and feed on honeydew, decaying fruit, plant nectar, bird dung and other substances. The adult is a strong flyer, recorded to travel 30 miles in search of food and sites to lay eggs. This ability allows the fly to infest new areas very quickly.