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Strawberry Sap Beetle
Adults are light to dark brown, wide oval, about 1/8" long, and have 3 sections. They have 3 or 4 generations per season. Adult beetles overwinter in woodlots and protected areas. When strawberries ripen, the beetles move in to feed and reproduce. Larvae develop inside damaged fruit and look like your average grub worm. Beetles tunnel into ripe fruit. For shelter and protection, they favor the part of the fruit that is in contact with the soil. They also feed on other fruits, vegetables, and nuts especially damaged or fallen ones. They also like roadside stand fruit. The beetles produce small holes throughout the fruit. Controls include a parasitic wasp which lays it's eggs in the larvae of the sap beetle. The wasps scientific name is Brachyserphus abruptus. Other controls are whole wheat bread dough used as a bait into any kind of beetle trap. Sap beetles can't resist the aroma of wheat bread dough. Put a lump of dough in a quart jar capped with a funnel pointing inward and sink it in the ground at the edge of your strawberry patch. Shade the trap and replace the dough as it dries out. Use 12 traps per acre of berries. Dispose of captured beeles regularly by dumping them into soapy water. the beeles are also attracted to overripe, damaged berries, so remove these quickly from the garden or use as bait. Asiatic Garden Beetle Ranges mostly in the New England states down into mid-Atlantic states. Also found in Ohio and South Carolina. Very similar to the strawberry sap beetle in looks. They are brown and velvety with short, yellow hairs on the underside. Their larvae are similar to grubs but are creamy beige and have bumps instead of segmentation type ridges. (These beetles are those that fly toward the light at night and cling to your screems and light poles.) These beetles lay eggs in the soil in weedy areas in summer. The larvae travel deep into the soil during cold months and come back close to the surface to pupate in late spring. Adults being to emerge in early summer, first changin their color from whitish to brown. Larvae feed on young roots and decaying plant material in the soil. Adult beetles feed on boxelder, butterfly bush, Japanese barberry, garden roses, sumac, viburnum, asters, chrysanthemum, dahlias, goldenrod, strawflowers, and foliage of strawberries, carrots, beets, eggplants, peppers, turnips and peach and cherry trees.
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The copyright of the article Strawberry Sap and Asiatic Garden Beetle in Garden Pests is owned by Carla Goodloe. Permission to republish Strawberry Sap and Asiatic Garden Beetle in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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