Identification: Flies on strawberries

Discussion in 'Fruit and Vegetable Gardening' started by colleend, Jun 29, 2017.

  1. colleend

    colleend Member

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    Hi fellow gardener's, I enjoyed a few handfuls of gorgeous juicy strawberries up until a few days ago, when my 4 hanging baskets became covered with small brown flies. Now they're mating and I guess laying eggs in my berries. Having had no problems for the last 13 yrs I'm assuming that they came in some specialty berries I got last July, pineapple, framberry, and heritage. I realize now they're FRANKENFRUIT along with their horrible passengers. So far my berries in the front of the house are OK, but if these spread to my raspberry patch and blueberry bushes I will be some pissed off. I guess they're the drosophila flies. My plan is to remove all the berries, they're even on the green ones now, throw in garbage, not the compost, and wait to see if the new batch is also infected. Any other ideas out there? I did put a bowl of apple cider vinegar out there, not a single fly in it.
     

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  2. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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  3. vitog

    vitog Contributor 10 Years

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    Is that one or a pair of the flies on the left side of the rightmost berry in the photo? If so, they are not SWD fruit flies, which are much smaller. I grow strawberries and have SWD problems in Burnaby, but I've never seen brown flies of that size on my berries.
     
  4. colleend

    colleend Member

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    Thanks for your replies. That was 3 flies and yes, they are pretty big. I wasn't sure they were SWD because the wings are different. I will try to get a better pic. To make matters worse, last night a rat was up there eating them.
     

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