My Strawberry Plant Has Ants

Ants

• Ants are notorious for finding edible food particles, but they generally don't bother strawberry plants unless over-ripe berries remain on the vines or in the soil. Once common ants find their way into your berry patch, they tend to continue visiting the food source until after the end of strawberry season. Ants that appear when the strawberry plants are free of fruit can be a symptom of a different type of pest infestation. Ants frequently appear near plants that contain aphids.

Strawberry Aphids

• As their name suggests, strawberry aphids are common pests in strawberry plants, although other varieties of aphids also endanger the plants. Chaetosiphon fragaefolli is the biological name for strawberry aphids, which are tiny insects that feed on the plants' sap. They excrete a sticky type of honeydew that attracts ants.

Damage

• In addition to the presence of ants, other symptoms of an aphid infestation include curled leaves and the appearance of sooty black mold on the foliage. While ants may feed on ripe fruits and affect the harvest, aphids can cause extensive damage by reducing the strawberry plant's ability to absorb and synthesize sunlight. Aphid damage also increases the risk of certain viral diseases, such as cytorhabdovirus.

Prevention

• Removing ripe strawberries from the vine is the most effective way of preventing rotting fruit that lures ants. Several insects provide biological controls against aphid infestations. Lacewings, lady beetles and predatory midges all feed on aphids and can help protect strawberry plants. Extensive ant or aphid infestations may require the use of a chemical insecticide. Use caution when applying an insecticide spray to plants that contain edible fruits.