{"id":3897,"date":"2026-09-28T15:47:05","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T15:47:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=3897"},"modified":"2026-09-29T15:26:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T15:26:33","slug":"spray-strawberries-when-they-turning-red","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/spray-strawberries-when-they-turning-red\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Spray Strawberries When They Are Turning Red for Thrips and Weevils?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<div class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-auto kksr-align-left kksr-valign-top\"\n    data-payload='{&quot;align&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;3897&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;valign&quot;:&quot;top&quot;,&quot;ignore&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;reference&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;legendonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;readonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;score&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;starsonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;best&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;gap&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;greet&quot;:&quot;Rate this&quot;,&quot;legend&quot;:&quot;0\\\/5 - (0 votes)&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Can You Spray Strawberries When They Are Turning Red for Thrips and Weevils?&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;_legend&quot;:&quot;{score}\\\/{best} - ({count} {votes})&quot;,&quot;font_factor&quot;:&quot;1.25&quot;}'>\n            \n<div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 0px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                \n\n<div class=\"kksr-legend\" style=\"font-size: 19.2px;\">\n            <span class=\"kksr-muted\">Rate this<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"QAPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"Can you spray strawberries for thrips and weevils when the berries are already turning red?\",\n    \"text\": \"I just noticed thrips on my strawberries, and the berries are already forming and starting to turn red! What do I do? To make matters worse, strawberry weevils (clippers) are crawling all over the patch. Is it too late to spray them with bug killer?\",\n    \"answerCount\": 1,\n    \"datePublished\": \"2021-06-13T08:29:00+03:00\",\n    \"author\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Person\",\n      \"name\": \"Ketrin007\",\n      \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/profile\/58763-ketrin007\/\"\n    },\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"There are two approaches. Traditional growers advise waiting until the harvest is completely over in July before spraying anything, especially if children eat from the patch. However, if the infestation is severe and most berries are still green, you can spray an organic biological insecticide (like Spinosad) to suppress the thrips and save the crop. Always check the PHI (Pre-Harvest Interval) on the label to see how many days you must wait before eating the sprayed berries.\",\n      \"datePublished\": \"2021-06-13T12:17:00+03:00\",\n      \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/spray-strawberries-when-they-turning-red\/#answer\",\n      \"author\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Person\",\n        \"name\": \"natko\",\n        \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/profile\/16504-natko\/\"\n      },\n      \"upvoteCount\": 68\n    }\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"tldr-box\" style=\"background: #f4f9f4; padding: 20px; border-left: 5px solid #4CAF50; margin-bottom: 20px; border-radius: 4px;\">\n<h3>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary (TL;DR): Pests on Fruiting Strawberries<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83c\udf53 <strong>The Panic:<\/strong> Discovering thrips or weevils when your strawberries are already blooming or fruiting is a nightmare. Heavy chemical pesticides are strictly off-limits right now.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\uded1 <strong>The &#8220;Wait it Out&#8221; Camp:<\/strong> Many traditional growers advise against spraying <em>anything<\/em> during fruiting, especially if kids eat straight from the patch. They wait until the harvest is over (July) to aggressively treat the plants.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udee1\ufe0f <strong>The &#8220;Organic Suppression&#8221; Camp:<\/strong> Other growers use organic, short-acting bio-insecticides (like Spinosad) to &#8220;knock back&#8221; the thrips. It won&#8217;t eradicate them completely, but it saves the current crop.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udd0d <strong>Misdiagnosis Warning:<\/strong> Are you sure it&#8217;s bugs? If your berries are drying up and turning brown, it might not be thrips at all. It could be a fungal disease like Leather Rot or Dry Rot. Always verify before spraying!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tp-bridge\" style=\"background: #fffaf0; border-left: 4px solid #ff9800; padding: 15px 20px; margin: 20px 0 30px 0; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.6; box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.05);\">\n<p>\ud83c\udf0d <strong>You&#8217;re reading a translated thread<\/strong> from our Russian-language forum. These growers garden in climates very similar to <strong>Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maine, and Ontario<\/strong> (short summers, late frosts, and cold soil).<\/p>\n<p>Have a different pest-control strategy in your state or province? <a style=\"color: #ff9800; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"#wpdcom\">Drop a comment below<\/a>! We&#8217;d love to compare notes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3 id=\"strawberry-panic\">Help! Is it too late to spray my berries?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">K<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Ketrin007 (Ekaterina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\ud83c\udf31 Enthusiast (3,490 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region | \ud83d\udcc5 June 13, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Hi everyone! I need help. I just noticed thrips on my strawberries, and the berries are already forming! What do I do? The berries are drying up; I&#8217;ve already thrown a couple away without even getting to eat them. \ud83d\ude2d<\/p>\n<p>To make matters worse, strawberry weevils (clippers) are crawling all over the patch. It&#8217;s a nightmare. The currants are covered in aphids, and I&#8217;m scared to spray the raspberries because they are blooming right now and I don&#8217;t want to hurt the pollinators.<\/p>\n<p>This is what happens when you skip your spring preventative spraying&#8230; \ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83c\udf53<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">A<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Aleksan9ra (Ludmila) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (15,056 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region | \ud83d\udcc5 June 13, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Katya, it is too late to spray the strawberries now. You just have to wait until July, when you have harvested all the berries, and then treat them heavily. You can still spray the raspberries, though, if you do it carefully. \ud83d\udeab\ud83c\udf53<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"answer\" class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">N<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">natko (Natalia) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (5,921 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Stupino District | \ud83d\udcc5 June 13, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>Aleksan9ra (Ludmila) wrote:<\/strong><br \/>\nKatya, it is too late to spray the strawberries now. You just have to wait until July&#8230;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Luda, I have to disagree. I would spray them right now with a biological insecticide (like Fitoverm).<\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t think Katya&#8217;s strawberries are fully red and harvesting continuously yet. Down south in my garden, only one variety has ripe red berries. The rest are still mostly green and blooming. You have to spray and save the crop! \ud83d\udee1\ufe0f<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">A<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Aleksan9ra (Ludmila) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (15,056 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region | \ud83d\udcc5 June 13, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Natasha, a mild biological spray won&#8217;t do anything against strawberry weevils\u2014you had to spray for those early in the spring, like you&#8217;re supposed to. And as for thrips, you need a minimum of 3 consecutive treatments to get rid of them. That&#8217;s exactly why I said it&#8217;s too late!<\/p>\n<p>If she sprays them now, it won&#8217;t work, and she&#8217;ll just be doubly disappointed. My berries are ripening, and I&#8217;m picking a few every day. I wouldn&#8217;t dare spray them right now, especially if little kids are running around the garden looking for fresh berries to eat. \ud83e\uddd2\ud83c\udf53<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">N<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">natko (Natalia) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (5,921 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Stupino District | \ud83d\udcc5 June 13, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>Aleksan9ra (Ludmila) wrote:<\/strong><br \/>\nAnd as for thrips, you need a minimum of 3 consecutive treatments&#8230;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>It will still suppress the thrips! Even a single spray of a biological insecticide right now will knock their numbers back. It won&#8217;t eradicate them completely, but it will give the plants a fighting chance so you can at least harvest *something*.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s strange this year, my early, mid, and late varieties are all progressing at the exact same pace. The bushes are massive, some have up to 15 flower stalks, with a mix of white berries, green berries, and flowers all at once.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">A<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Aleksan9ra (Ludmila) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (15,056 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region | \ud83d\udcc5 June 13, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Well, let Katya decide for herself.<\/p>\n<p>But honestly, maybe it isn&#8217;t even thrips? Since she mentioned the berries are drying up, could it be <strong>Dry Rot<\/strong> (a fungal issue)? I really wish we could see a picture before we give her advice on spraying! \ud83d\udd0d<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve noticed a lot of strange things in the garden this year that I can&#8217;t explain. Oh well, as long as we get berries. The forecast looks good for them: sun and heat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"editor-note\" style=\"background: #eef7ff; padding: 15px; border-left: 4px solid #2196F3; margin-top: 25px; font-size: 0.95em; border-radius: 4px;\"><strong>\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 Editor&#8217;s Agronomy Note for North American Gardeners:<\/strong><br \/>\nThere is a massive debate in this thread about spraying strawberries while fruit is present. Here is what you need to know:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Insecticide Used:<\/strong> Natalia suggests <em>Fitoverm<\/em>, a highly popular organic pesticide in Eastern Europe based on Avermectin. In the US, the closest equivalent organic spray for thrips is <strong>Spinosad<\/strong> (found in brands like <em>Captain Jack&#8217;s Dead Bug Brew<\/em>) or <strong>Pyrethrin<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Safety and PHI:<\/strong> Ludmila is worried about kids eating the berries. When using <em>any<\/em> spray (even organic Spinosad), you must check the label for the <strong>PHI (Pre-Harvest Interval)<\/strong>. This tells you exactly how many days you must wait between spraying and eating the fruit. For Spinosad on strawberries, the PHI is usually 1 day, making it safe for mid-harvest suppression if washed properly.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Misdiagnosis:<\/strong> Ludmila makes a brilliant point at the end. Thrips usually cause the strawberry blossoms to drop or the fruit to turn bronzed and cracked. If the fruit is turning brown, leathery, and drying up entirely, it is often <strong>Leather Rot<\/strong> or another fungal disease, not an insect!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"add-review-cta\" style=\"margin: 20px 0; padding: 15px; background: #fffaf0; border-left: 4px solid #ff9800; border-radius: 4px;\"><strong>\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 What is your strategy?<\/strong> <a href=\"#wpdcom\">Are you &#8220;Team Ludmila&#8221; (never spray during harvest) or &#8220;Team Natalia&#8221; (use organics to save the crop)? Let us know in the comments!<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary (TL;DR): Pests on Fruiting Strawberries \ud83c\udf53 The Panic: Discovering thrips or weevils when your strawberries are already blooming or fruiting is a nightmare. Heavy chemical pesticides are strictly off-limits right now. \ud83d\uded1 The &#8220;Wait it Out&#8221; Camp: Many traditional growers advise against spraying anything during fruiting, especially if kids eat straight from &#8230; <a title=\"Can You Spray Strawberries When They Are Turning Red for Thrips and Weevils?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/spray-strawberries-when-they-turning-red\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Can You Spray Strawberries When They Are Turning Red for Thrips and Weevils?\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[705,472],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-strawberries","category-diseases-weeds"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3897"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3923,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897\/revisions\/3923"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}