Woodlice eating strawberries

[mikepearce45]

Can anyone please advise me on how to control a woodlice infestation in my strawberry patch which is in a raised bed. I lost many berries last year from these little pests.

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Mike, do you clear all the old leaves away before Spring arrives, as this gives the Woodlice somewhere to hide and breed!

[Westi]

Are your raised beds a bit old mikepearce45? They will feed on rotting wood. They do like strawberries as well, but generally only if slugs or snails have already had a bite to give easy access.

[mikepearce45]

Oldherbaceous and Westi
Afternoon both and thanks for your replies

The raised beds were in fact brand new last year , so no rotting wood.

The "attacks" to the fruit only started after a layer of straw was put down to keep the soil spashes off the berries , so in theory, my attempts to protect the fruit seems to have attracted the little blighters. Slug and snail bait was under the straw and I saw no evidence of slime trails . I am blaming the woodlice as they were in evidence.

My enquiries elsewhere have suggested a mix, in equal parts, of yeast, sugar and water dotted around the bed in containers buried at soil level with slightly raised lids to keep the traps as dark as possible. Our American cousins have a chemical dust treatment but this appears to be unavailble in the UK - it also sounds a bit potent to be used around edible fruit so I am happy to give that a miss.

I will give the yeast mix a try and report later in the year on how successful it has been as I am sure I am not the only one having this problem.

Thanks again for your replies. Regards to both.
Mike

[vivienz]

I have a border of early strawberries in my greenhouse and last year, the woodlice scoffed most of them. There were only enough left for us once they were in full production. I have strawberry beds outside too, but these weren't bothered by woodlice at all. Plenty of other pests, slugs, birds, husband, all stole them, but not the woodlice.
I've just had a really good tidy up of the greenhouse ones, but I'm preparing myself to lose the earliest ones again. Sorry I have no good solution for them as I confess to having a soft spot for woodlice - don't know why!

[Westi]

Well not eating my strawberries yet, but they are pretty much everywhere on the plot, with or without wood in the mix & what wood there is around is not rotted! I did look up these to be sure & they do appear to be these, although mine are perhaps a little blacker than the pics I found, but obvs of the same family. I pulled away the stone edging to weed a flower bed; out they came, dug the runners plot ready & they were under weeds, lifted the spade that had fallen over, ditto & even under the patio membrane.

Any advice on an appropriate deterrent or treatment to try to control these wee beasties or even an idea if these are wood lice or another branch of the family? It's been a rubbish year already without these guys getting in the mix so want to see them off before the wee plants are affected. Haven't found any in the tunnel, but it is dryer than outside which although no flooding is constantly wet.