help!! what is eating my strawberries?

[Hazel]

I've gotten about 10 off the plants already but went out to pick more this morning and somethign has nibbled on all of the ripe ones
I have no ideas.
its nibbled on them sort of like an apple, so I'm thinking mice? or worse...rats?
I dont even know what we have here, we are new to the area. I looked for little paw prints and droppings but found neither.
help! what can I do?

[verde]

Birds?

[Hazel]

yes, possibly birds.
I guess I just thought the bite marks would look different on a bird eaten strawberry but I really have no clue! this is my first year with a garden other than a few things I've grown over the years in containers.
I guess I need to put up some netting and see if that helps.

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

I would guess birds to.

It's too late for this year, but for next year early in the spring I paint a bunch of little stones red and scatter them in my strawberry bed. The birds are attracted to the red stones, thinking they are berries but soon find out they are rocks. After a while, they give up. By the time the berries are ripe, the birds have learned to leave the red things in that area alone and they don't touch the berries.

It sounds strange, but it actually works.

[lmonter]

Birds. Sometimes smaller critters like slugs or squirrels. Usually birds in my yard though. I'm attempting the red stone thing this year, but it may be too late for that now so we'll just have to put up netting regardless.

[Hazel]

Originally Posted by Rhiannon Feimorgan

I would guess birds to.

It's too late for this year, but for next year early in the spring I paint a bunch of little stones red and scatter them in my strawberry bed. The birds are attracted to the red stones, thinking they are berries but soon find out they are rocks. After a while, they give up. By the time the berries are ripe, the birds have learned to leave the red things in that area alone and they don't touch the berries.

It sounds strange, but it actually works.

that is a rockin' good idea! (heh, couldn't resist!)
seriously. dang. wish I had known about that before.
someone had suggested trying a toy snake and that had been working but I guess once they realized it was a toy they came in for the kill anyway.
got some netting tonight but by the time I found it (had to go to several different stores) it was too late to work on it. tomorrow they will be covered!

[christinar]

The squirrels eat mine... but those plants are mostly just for fun - we do our 50+lbs of strawberry picking at a U Pick farm.