i just noticed the same thing in my newly planted straw berries...I hopefully someone has a suggested solution for this.

That's strange, I have strawberries. There's more than 30 flowers. I'm exciting for them to produce fruits soon! Ants aren't a big problem for me. I usually left these around my strawberries. They didn't damaged anything but they can be useful for pests on strawberries such as aphid. Ants will kill them. Have you check for any other pests on your strawberries? Aphid have killed my strawberry on hang basket. That's probably why your strawberries died last year?

Usually the ants would not do any damage to your plants. But to be sure you should harvest your strawberries a little earlier than normal. YOU SHOULD CHECK FOR OTHER PESTS such as Thrips, snails, caterpillars and slugs.

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing strawberries guide

I thought ant's farmed aphids - not killed them.

Anywho - I have strawberries and ants so I best bec careful....I hear ants don't like a lot of water......maybe keep the strawberry patch as moist as possible.

Also heard ants don't like mint......maybe that can help? I you've got mints, put the cutting around the strawberries.

Check your hardward store or you can make your own:
Â1 level teaspoon boric acid.
½ cup corn syrup or honey.
ÂMix boric acid and honey/syrup.
ÂHeat until boric acid is dissolved.
ÂCool completely. You don't want to burn yourself!
ÂMix equal parts water and syrup boric acid mixture.
ÂPlace a small amount of mixture in a lid or use an eyedropper to put a small amount of bait where ants will find it. (I liked one of the other websites that said they used something like a sour cream container & poked a few holes about ½ inch from the bottom & put the bait inside & put the lid on top. With it so windy, you might have to put a brick on top to hold it down.)
ÂBe sure to keep bait available to ants for 2 weeks.

ÂKeep bait mixtures out of the reach of children and pets. Source UFL

Thanks for the suggestions and that recipe, which I will try. Yes, I think ants do farm aphids, or at least that is what I read somewhere else in regards to having aphids on other types of veggies. Even if the ants were somewhat beneficial, there is too much of an infestataion, I believe. My plants were young last year so very few strawberries but those I did have were eaten by some sort of insect. I wouldn't mind knocking their numbers down a bit. Lori

I've got the same problem. Ants eating my strawberries shortly before they are ripe. I lose about a third of my berries, very frustrating. I'll try the bait method, just looking for something to kill them without affecting the berries.

If you don't have time to cook up your own boric acid solution, there are lots of boric acid /borax ant traps on the market -- I used the Terro ant traps earlier this year, and they worked great. No more ants. Borax traps are much less toxic than some others.

I don't think ants actually eat your strawberries. I have chipmunks in my yard that come and take bites of the ripe strawberries. I suspect even birds may also be taking bites of the strawberries, but I know for a fact chipmunks are my main culprit. Then the ants move in and get to work. I watched the ants on a strawberry and they didn't get very far as far as "eating" the strawberry.
I suspect you have chipmunks.

Yes, I have the same problem. Amazingly it is ants who are eating them here in NSW Australia. My strawberries are in a bird and animal proof cage, and the only things I see on the strawberries are ants. They must slowly eat away at it, but they end up doing a lot of damage.
I haven't got around to trying recipes yet but I will!

I had tiny ants on my berries but didn't notice until they were in the kitchen It was like a horror story they went everywhere It took days to get rid of them I paniced and threw ant powder everywhere now I'm scared to pick anything from my kitchen garden. Aphids have been bad this year but at least they don't move into your house. I might just start buying organic and leave nature alone.

You can kill ants with diatomaceous earth. It has to be dry a couple days. use food grade. It works really well and is organic and not harmful at all to ingest, but most will just absorb into the soil. Once wet it doesn't work. It's like tiny shards of glass that puncture the ants exoskeleton.

Good suggestion. It's a great barrier, but doesn't kill many before they catch on.

Think of it as a water-less moat.

I have been using food grade diatomaceous earth (also called fossil shell flour) for years with great success. But be careful - IT IS HARMFUL IF BREATHED.

===================================================================

From Occupational Safety and Health
Administration - Material Safety Data Sheet http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/msds/Insect_Dust_msds.pdf :

Health Hazards:
Signs and Symptoms of Exposure: Exposure may result in coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath,
tightness of chest, irritation of the upper respiratory tract and damage to lung tissue.
Medical Condition Generally Aggravated by Exposure: Pre-exiting asthma, bronchitis,
emphysema and other lung and respiratory ailments may be aggravated by exposure to dust.
Possible effects of single exposure: Acute exposure may cause upper respiratory irritation.
Inhalation: Irritations of the upper respiratory tract and lungs may result from accidental
or chronic occupational exposure to the dust of this product. Dust may also cause lung
damage when inhaled.

===================================================================

I use this product in limited situations and not applied to large areas where it will blow around. You have to be careful applying it because it's a very fine powder that blows easily. I don't pour it, I carefully use a spoon on a day with no wind, and wear a good N95 particulate respirator (dust mask) with an exhalation valve.

I also use it very sparingly in the back of pantry shelves instead of insecticide. Lasts for years.

Outside, I use it in rainproof containers blocking the ant path by suspending the item with chains. Using two long stainless steel eye bolts connected together with a 1" tall nut (they're called rod coupling nuts) through the container sealed with silicone. I use washers and a regular nut against the coupling nut to secure the bottom of the container to the eye bolts. To protect the DE from the rain (it only works when dry) I attach the cover (even a heavy non rusting pie plate will do) to the threaded eye bolt with nuts and washers making sure there is a gap above the container. If the cover touches the container, they will bypass the DE. Then, I connect the chains together so they have no way down the chain without walking through the DE. For the container, don't use plastic that breaks down in the sun, gets brittle and cracks. Use a stainless steel cup, doesn't have to be deep, 2" is fine. Similar in size to a 8 oz cream cheese container.

Here in So Cal we have Argentine Ants. Very pesky critters that cooperate with other ants to become the earth's dominant ant. My local colony stretches 600 miles from San Diego to San Francisco. Multiple queens, insecticide just stimulates more nests. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_ant).

Since they recognize poison bait after a while, you don't eliminate them.

You steer them with DE.

They did manage to cross a small 2 inch diameter container (1 inch path) of DE by forming a chain of their bodies to get to a hummingbird feeder. Might have been a fluke though, since the path was shortened a bit by a dead beetle carcass.

Anyway, to be sure, I suggest at least a 4 inch diameter container forming a 2 inch barrier around the chain. Don't forget, one leaf touching ANYTHING gives them an alternative path. This includes the chain above the DE, so mount the DE container high above the plants. Also run drippers high above the plants, or submerge drip tubing through the DE in the container running from the chain to the edge. Use bailing wire to secure the drip line so it never moves above the DE. Better yet, run the tubing in parallel with the eye bolts through holes in the container sealed with silicone.

As for the subject at hand, I haven't bothered to suspend my strawberry containers yet. They're sitting on the ground. Usually the ants are happy with 10-20% so I just grow more plants. Win win.

So far the truce has held, but if they get greedy, I'll up my game. (pun intended)

okay, so i have slugs (especially baby slugs--i know they are babies because i caught a bunch with beer. so the bummer is that they are probably laying eggs in my strawberry patch!) which eat little holes in the strawberries, and then the ants go in and eat too. i don't think the ants can break the skin of the strawberry without the slugs. so best to deal with the slugs. putting out beer, using diatomaceous earth, and sluggo should help. doing just one of these things doesn't seem to help much. ants also seem to work together with aphids. i had chard in this same bed with the strawberries last year and i had ants all over and in my berries and aphids took over the chard. apparently, the ants eat the aphids' poop. i decided no chard this year. this year i discovered the slugs. i didn't know that was what was eating the little holes in the berries last year. good luck!