Protecting strawberries – without chemicals

Powdery mildew Podosphaera aphanis

White, powdery coating on leaves, flowers and fruit. The leaves curl, infected fruit stays small and can no longer be sold.

Two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae

Fine pale speckles on the upper side of the leaves, which later turn yellow or bronze. Fine webbing on the underside. In warm, dry weather the mites multiply very fast.

Glasshouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum

Small white flies that take off when the plant is touched. The larvae sit on the undersides of the leaves and excrete sticky honeydew on which sooty mould grows.

Strawberry aphid Chaetosiphon fragaefolii

Pale-green aphids, 1–2 mm long, on the undersides of young leaves. Honeydew makes leaves and fruit sticky, and the aphids transmit strawberry viruses.

Thrips Frankliniella occidentalis

Silvery patches with tiny black droppings on the leaves, misshapen flowers and fruit. Thrips are only 1–2 mm long and transmit viruses.

Tarnished plant bug (Lygus) Lygus rugulipennis

Green to brownish bugs, 5–6 mm long. They feed on flowers and young fruit; the strawberries become misshapen and stay hard and seedy where they were stung.

Grey mould Botrytis cinerea

Grey, dusty fungal growth on flowers and fruit. Infected fruit turns soft and rots, often before harvest. Wet weather and dense foliage strongly favour it.