Those Tiny White Worms in Strawberries: Should You Worry?
You are standing in your kitchen with a bowl of bright, glossy strawberries in front of you. You rinse a few, maybe pop one in your mouth, and for a…
What Are Those Little White Worms
First, those tiny white worms are not worms in the way most people picture. They are larvae, specifically the larvae of a small fruit fly called the Spotted Wing Drosophila.
Here is the simple version. These flies lay eggs inside ripening fruit, especially soft fruits like strawberries. When the eggs hatch, the larvae grow inside the fruit, not on the surface. What makes this fly different from the ordinary fruit flies hovering over an overripe banana is that it does not wait for fruit to rot. The female has a sharp egg-laying organ that lets her pierce the skin of fresh, perfect fruit and deposit eggs just beneath the surface. From there, especially in warm weather, things move quickly.