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don555_gw

Icky saskatoon berry worm

don555
9 years ago

Picking a few backyard saskatoons today and came across this unpleasant little fellow. My immediate fear was that it was the dreaded spotted-wing drosophila, but the maggot doesn't match and I don't see any fruit flies around, whew. Any idea what it is?

This post was edited by don555 on Sun, Jul 20, 14 at 17:52

Comments (14)

  • northspruce
    9 years ago

    No, but you ruined my life. I used to love Sasks.

    (LOL)

  • don555
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Just don't eat the wriggly ones :)

  • Konrad___far_north
    9 years ago

    Looks like,.. close your eyes and get some additional protein, not so bad! Think of it this way,.. you have organic berries!

  • FrozeBudd_z3/4
    9 years ago

    I usually take just a very quick glace before popping a handful of saskatoons in my mouth, I'm be scanning them a bit more carefully from now on, lol.

  • Konrad___far_north
    9 years ago

    Bought some Blueberry the other day,...I washed it with very warm water and soap, then rinsed it cold,..that gives these little critters a shock and come out, had one come out!

  • Konrad___far_north
    9 years ago

    But,...I must applaud for this great picture, Don!

  • ostrich
    9 years ago

    WOW! That is surely not a pleasant surprise.... hope you won't find more in your Saskatoon berries!

    Now, I really need to wash my berries more carefully....

  • Konrad___far_north
    9 years ago

    Are birds after these?
    On mine, Robins and Waxwings were on it.
    Today, I just covered up about half of a native bush,..just starting getting blue, a little behind then yours I would think,..yours is the Smoky, right?

  • donna_in_sask
    9 years ago

    Don,

    Your camera skills are WAY too good in this post! Yuck!

    konrad,

    What is that covering over the berry bushes? Floating row cover?

    My MIL has a saskatoon in her garden and the birds always get all the berries. One year, she put a net over it and it caught a bird which caused a lot of distress (for both)...she never put one on again and just resigned herself to never getting any fruit from it.

  • SouthCountryGuy Zone 4b-5 SE BC
    9 years ago

    Makes me laugh. Last year I took my daughters out to pick and eat the berries. My youngest (2) being lazy like her father decided it was much easier and faster to put the branch in her mouth and pick the berries off with her teeth. I thought of those worms as she glided branch after branch threw her mouth.

    SCG

  • don555
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    SCG, better not show your daughter the picture...

    Konrad, yes mine are Smoky. Robins used to take about half or so of the berries but the last couple years there have been so many screeching magpies around that the robins don't come around any more. I saw a magpie eating a few but they don't seem nearly as interested in them as the robins were.

  • Konrad___far_north
    9 years ago

    >>What is that covering over the berry bushes? Floating row cover? Yes,..came up with this idea since I have also killed birds with regular netting, ...the cheap light stuff found in stores.
    I know, the heavy commercial grade would be allot better but I
    don't have enough to buy a big huge roll.

    In the meantime I found out that row covers work fantastic,
    so versatile for many things, like veggie garden and honey berries.
    They don't get tangled up in branches,..what a treat to take off!
    I used you use close pins to tie them up, now I bought a HUGE
    box of Binder Clips from Staples,...WOW!...NEVER go back to close pins again.

    Don,...looks like a nuisance becomes a liked bird for a while,..good thing it's working without covering up.

  • don555
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Haha, I'm still trying to decide if I like or hate your netting solution.

    My Evans cherry is on the same side of my yard as the saskatoons, and last year I had bird problems as the cherries started to ripen and the birds moved from the saskatoons to the cherries. I covered the Evans with standard plastic bird-netting with 1" or 2" holes, but I soon found a magpie stuck in my net. I managed to successfully cut it free, but with some stress to both me and the magpie.

    Your netting solution would avoid all that... but in the city would it look like giant tent caterpillars had invaded my yard? Hmmmm...

  • northspruce
    9 years ago

    I went saskatoon picking at work yesterday (LOL), thinking all the while of Don's worm, and came back with a litre which isn't bad considering I was supposed to be working at the time.

    I washed them and let them soak overnight, and about 10 critters popped out and drowned. They were much smaller than Don's though... maybe a quarter the size of a cupcake sprinkle. Now I just have to decide... jam or pies???