Holes in Strawberries

Question

I have a patch of strawberries that have had something eating holes in the berries before I can harvest them. We do not want to use pesticides on them. I have diatomacous earth on the ground and have covered the area with netting, as we thought the birds were our problem. The holes seem to be on almost all berries unless we get lucky and find some that are not affected. The holes are about the size of a pencil barrel. Any thoughts?

Answer 1

Any number of insects could be culpable such as slugs, pill bugs, or earwigs. I would recommend monitoring your strawberries and seeing if you can find the culprit in the act - you will especially want to check on them at night with a flashlight as that's when slugs like to come out

Here are some articles on slugs, pill bugs and earwigs that will be helpful once you identify the culprit.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/kill-garden-slugs.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/sow-bug-control.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/removing-earwigs-garden.htm