New to strawberries-do they need bees to polinate? (flowers, grown, bugs)
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Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
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I planted a few strawberry plants in a crate. Started to get a few berries, then one day they were gone. I don't know what got to them.
So I built a cage out of pvc and put bird netting around it. The netting is spaced about 5 inches from every side.
My question is will the netting keep out any bugs to pollinate them? Do they even need to be polinated?
I watched a carpenter bee bump into the netting a few times and not get in, so I'm wondering if the netting is ok.
I planted a few strawberry plants in a crate. Started to get a few berries, then one day they were gone. I don't know what got to them.
So I built a cage out of pvc and put bird netting around it. The netting is spaced about 5 inches from every side.
My question is will the netting keep out any bugs to pollinate them? Do they even need to be polinated?
I watched a carpenter bee bump into the netting a few times and not get in, so I'm wondering if the netting is ok.
You can buy self-fertile strawberry plants, but it's best to attract honeybees or bumblebees to pollinate your plants to achieve the best crops. Planting flowers that attract bees near your strawberries increases the chance of your attracting beneficial bees to pollinate your plants. I would, personally, eliminate as much of the netting as possible until the berries have really started to grow and you need to protect them from birds and bunnies eating them. The bees need to get to the flower anthers early on to spread the pollen.
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
10,345 posts, read 8,559,492 times
Reputation: 16679
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bungalove
You can buy self-fertile strawberry plants, but it's best to attract honeybees or bumblebees to pollinate your plants to achieve the best crops. Planting flowers that attract bees near your strawberries increases the chance of your attracting beneficial bees to pollinate your plants. I would, personally, eliminate as much of the netting as possible until the berries have really started to grow and you need to protect them from birds and bunnies eating them. The bees need to get to the flower anthers early on to spread the pollen.
I guess since the first few berries were halfway to being full red and got eaten, I wonder if I take off the netting for the bees if none of them will ever make it to being ripe for me.
Do you know what kind of strawberries they are? If they are an everbearing variety they may continue producing fruit right into October. In any case I think you should remove the mesh that prevents pollinators from getting at them and put up something a wee bit bigger that all pollinators (not only bees) can get through to get at the flowers.
Would a bee attempt to fly through the holes or land on the net then take off to the plant.
What are bigger pollinators.
Pollinators will not attempt to fly through the holes or land on the net then take off to the plant. It is too dangerous for them to attempt to try to crawl or navigate their way through obstacles that might be haunted by carnivorous predators in waiting.
There are thousands of pollinators that range in size from as tiny as a little sugar ant all the way up to butterflies, hummingbirds and little bats. Every living thing that collects nectar and pollen will visit flowers and then pollinate other flowers.
I suspect that your strawberries were taken by squirrels or birds or even slugs. You can put up a barrier that is small enough to stop those without it being a barrier or a trap to smaller pollinators.
Bungalove got it right -- you only need to protect the fruit once it has ripened, so don't put the netting on until the green fruit is stating to turn....How do those pests know when to grab it?
A strawberry is analogous to an ear of corn: each little dot on the berry is one "kernal" (or seed) and to develop, it needed a grain of pollen. The more pollen falling on each flower, the better the fruit.....Strawberries are pollinated by self, wind, insects and/or by hand-- the more, the better.
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
10,345 posts, read 8,559,492 times
Reputation: 16679
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zoisite
Pollinators will not attempt to fly through the holes or land on the net then take off to the plant. It is too dangerous for them to attempt to try to crawl or navigate their way through obstacles that might be haunted by carnivorous predators in waiting.
There are thousands of pollinators that range in size from as tiny as a little sugar ant all the way up to butterflies, hummingbirds and little bats. Every living thing that collects nectar and pollen will visit flowers and then pollinate other flowers.
I suspect that your strawberries were taken by squirrels or birds or even slugs. You can put up a barrier that is small enough to stop those without it being a barrier or a trap to smaller pollinators.
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I noticed that where the strawberries were the stem is severed. As if it was cut off at the stem. There were a couple of leaves that were partially eaten as if one insect had been eating it.
In addition to the bird netting I put out some snail pellets even though I saw no slime trails.
The bird netting has maybe 5/8 inch holes in it.
What do you suggest I use. If I take off the netting, each time a berry starts to turn red I think it will get eaten while the flowers get pollinated and this will just be a never ending cycle.
I noticed that where the strawberries were the stem is severed. As if it was cut off at the stem. There were a couple of leaves that were partially eaten as if one insect had been eating it.
In addition to the bird netting I put out some snail pellets even though I saw no slime trails.
The bird netting has maybe 5/8 inch holes in it.
What do you suggest I use. If I take off the netting, each time a berry starts to turn red I think it will get eaten while the flowers get pollinated and this will just be a never ending cycle.
Severed stems usually means rodents or larger birds like crows or starlings are the most likely culprits. They will pluck the whole berry off at the stem then take off with it to eat it somewhere else. I'd say leave the netting in place around the plants to keep birds away and check it regularly to make sure it isn't being chewed through by rodents.
Those 5/8 inch holes are a bit too small and dangerous for the larger pollinating insects to attempt to crawl and maneuver their way through them - such as mason bees, honey bees, bumblebees, wasps - but that doesn't matter since there are still so many other types of pollinating insects that are much, much smaller than those guys and will be easily able to fly right through the holes without having to land on the netting.
Any slugs, snails, wood lice, ear wigs, ants, caterpillars, centipedes, earth dwelling grubs, etc. that come out at night to eat fruit, flowers and leaves can all be taken care of together to keep them away. You can do that by dusting all the soil around the plants and beneath the leaves with a light sprinkling of finely ground black pepper ( not cayenne or chili pepper). Just gently lift all the leaves up out of the way as you sprinkle the pepper on the soil and then let the leaves fall back down into their resting places. The pepper on the soil won't hurt the strawberry plants roots (it will actually nourish the roots and help act as a fungicide against mold and mildew on the fruit) and it will deter those fruit eating critters, they won't go through it. Little mice, squirrels and other rodents won't go on pepper either.
It's best to try to avoid getting pepper on top of the leaves and flowers because it can have a dehydrating effect on the upper surfaces if they get coated with a layer of it, plus pepper on top will also discourage pollinators and other beneficial insects that approach by air and you don't want to discourage the pollinators. Because you will also be watering the plants regularly you'll probably need to dust the soil with the black pepper once a week for as long as the plants are flowering and fruiting. You can find really cheap, finely ground black pepper in dollar stores.
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