Extension > Garden > Diagnose a problem > What's wrong with my plant? > Fruit > Strawberry >Holes in fruit
Strawberries > Fruit > Holes in fruit
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Slugs
- Feeding results in a small, deep hole in both green and ripe fruit
- Slugs look like snails without a shell, and are approximately 1/4 to 2 inches long
- Slugs are present in damp weather, and pose a problem in late May-June
- More information on Slugs
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Birds
- Bird feeding causes wedge shaped punctures or “dents” in berries
- Pieces of fruit may be scattered around damaged berry
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Sap Beetles
Glischrochilus spp., Carpophilus spp.
- Feeding results in small (<1/4 inch) holes in ripe fruit
- Picnic and sap beetles are approximately 1/4 inch long, mostly black insects that are flattened and broadly oval with four yellowish-orange spots on their backs
- Beetles appear at harvest and are attracted to overripe fruit
- More information on Sap Beetles
