What worms can be in strawberries and how to get rid of them?

Many gardeners grow strawberries in their summer cottages. It should be remembered that this culture is often negatively affected by various insects and parasites, including worms. Today we will talk about what the symptoms of infection will be in this case, how to get rid of these organisms.

Small worms can be placed on the stems, root system, leaf blades of strawberries. As a result of their activity, the culture is damaged, all the juices are sucked out of it. Vegetation can be affected by a wide variety of such harmful insects.

A variety of worms can infect strawberries.

• Kivsyaki... These parasites are small animals with a worm-like body that varies in length from 5 to 7 millimeters. The pest looks like a small white hairy insect with a large number of thin legs. They move rather slowly. Nibs can be rolled up in the form of a small spring. The pest reproduces by eggs, which are deposited on the top soil layer, as well as under plant debris on the ground.

• May beetle larvae... They have a white body and a brown head. They also have several light-colored legs. Dark spots can be seen on their body. These parasites eat various parts of the plant, gradually destroying it.

• Strawberry nematode... This pest belongs to the roundworm category. He most often lives in the ground. Strawberry nematodes infect fruits, buds, ovaries, as a result of which the culture becomes further sterile.

• Wireworms... These parasites are the larvae of click beetles. They look like thin yellow-white insects, the length of which can reach 3 centimeters. Wireworms gnaw various parts of the vegetation, forming holes on the surface.

Most often, when strawberries are affected by various harmful worms, small holes of different depths appear on the berries. One or more parasites can be seen inside them. Affected fruits, as a rule, have an unpleasant odor, and they should not be consumed.

The root part and the underground part of plant stems are often damaged. In this case, worms most often gnaw holes in them. After that, the affected areas begin to take on a black or brown color. All this is accompanied by a strong slowdown in the growth and development of culture. With severe damage, the green parts begin to dry out quickly and then die.

If you do not see the pest in a timely manner and do not start treatment of the culture, then the leaf plates will quickly dry out, curl up, and then begin to fall off. The berries will become unusable. Fruits may take on a dark gray or brown color, and they will also fall off.

The vegetation will soon die. In this case, other plants growing near the damaged strawberry can also be affected.As a result, you will have to completely remove all rotten and dead parts of the culture, carry out thorough tillage and plant it again. In this case, it is better to burn all the removed elements.

Currently, there is a wide variety of all kinds of methods for dealing with worms on strawberries.

To begin with, we will look at what ready-made chemicals can be used to process and treat a given crop.

• "Heterophos". This substance is used in the form of a solution, while for 10 liters of pure water there should be 15 grams of the composition. Processing should be carried out at an air temperature of at least 20 degrees Celsius. Often, young seedlings are pre-soaked in such a prepared solution before planting for prevention. "Heterophos" will allow you to quickly remove all harmful organisms from the culture.
• "Phosphamide"... This product is also used as a solution (0.02%). To achieve a positive result, it will be necessary to carry out treatments with such a chemical preparation on a weekly basis.
• Actellik. This tool will be effective in the fight against various parasites on the crop. It allows you to have a negative effect on the nervous and digestive system of pests, which leads to their early death. The treatment with this substance should be carried out at temperatures above 15 degrees Celsius, since its effect is significantly enhanced in humid and warm conditions. The drug is absolutely safe for the plants themselves, it will not affect healthy vegetation, while helping to destroy all harmful organisms.
• Novaktion. This remedy will also help if the culture has got worms. It is a highly effective insecticide that can poison various harmful insects and rodents. This type of agent also affects the digestive and nervous systems of parasites, which leads to their death. To prepare a solution for processing strawberries, you will need to mix 4 grams of such a substance and 10 liters of clean water.

To achieve maximum results and get rid of all the pests that have appeared on strawberries, the use of chemicals should be combined with the use of various folk remedies. Next, we will consider several simple options for such formulations that can be easily prepared at home.

• Mustard solution... To prepare it, you will need to mix 10 liters of liquid with two tablespoons of mustard powder. The resulting composition is poured under the bush. Such procedures should be carried out periodically.
• Iodine composition. In this case, you will need to mix 10 liters of liquid and 10 drops of iodine. The prepared substance is introduced at the root.
• Garlic infusion... You will first need to chop the garlic heads. The resulting mixture is poured with water and left in this form for several days. After that, strawberries are poured with infusion, most often only 2-3 such procedures are enough.
• A solution with ammonia. In this case, 10 liters of water are mixed with 20 ml of ammonia. The composition should water the areas between the strawberry rows, as well as the bushes themselves. Moreover, this should be done no more than 2 times a month.
• Tincture of calendula. When preparing it, you will need 5 liters of water and 5 tablespoons of calendula. Processing with such an infusion is recommended once a week.
• Onion tincture. To do this, 200 grams of onion husks are combined with five liters of liquid. The composition is watered on strawberry bushes once a week.

There are strawberry varieties that are particularly resistant to the actions of worms and other pests.

• "Diamond". Such an unpretentious variety is rarely negatively affected by parasites. It has medium-sized fruits, their weight varies from 20 to 40 grams.
• "Elsanta"... This type of culture is also considered unpretentious and persistent.It is distinguished by fleshy fruits with a bright rich red color.
• "Alpha". This variety belongs to the late ripening species. The culture is rarely affected by pests and diseases.
• Mount Everest... Strawberries of this variety are highly resistant to parasites and diseases. It belongs to the remontant types.
• "First grader". This type of strawberry is also extremely rarely exposed to the negative action of insects, it is a medium-late ripening variety.

To prevent the appearance of worms on the culture, it is worth remembering some important preventive measures. So, do not forget that it is necessary to remove all plant residues of dried and dead plants from the site in a timely manner. Moreover, after harvesting them, it is recommended to loosen and fertilize the soil well.

Examine strawberry bushes regularly for vermin. If insect pests are found, chemical treatment should be carried out immediately.