Strange white/black growth on strawberries

[poro]

I have these strange white/black growths on my strawberry plants. I have been picking out the affected leaves occasionally but not sure what it is. Looks like very very tiny mushrooms.

 

[Tetters]

Looks like aphids to me

Actually @poro - you have different bugs in America that we don`t necessarily see in the UK. I wonder if @Chuck would know this - I`ll bet he does

 

[Chuck]

@Tetters is correct, it is a bad infestation of aphids. The little white mushroom things are an aphid that has his head buried into the leaf and is sucking out the sap from the plant and the white round thing attached is the swelling abdomen. The black is the excrement called honeydew although I think I also see some black aphids. In any case you must get rid of these things. Since you failed to tell us where you are located under your avatar or in your message I cannot advise as what to use against them. If you were in Texas you would use insecticidal soap as the best means, but up north where the sun isn't as hot or intense you would use either Neem or Horticultural Oil. Many people advise to just wash them off with a strong stream of water. That only works on the aphids that have their heads buried into the leaf. The stream of water rips their miserable little heads off. All of the others are just washed off and climb right back up again.

 

[Tetters]

Thanks for that Chuck

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I use dirt cheap, very soft soap and get a good lather up with an old shaving brush. Not too chemical, but they certainly don't like it.

 

[poro]

Im in Oklahoma. It's definitely really hard to get a good closeup photo of it but I am pretty sure it isn't an aphid. They dont have any features that resemble any aphid I've ever encountered or seen on the web. it almost looks like mushrooms are growing off of every pore on the leaf.

 

[Tetters]

Good luck with it then.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

It doesn't really matter what they are, nothing much likes a good lather up with a soft brush and some soap, and ordinary soap washes off with the first rain and won't harm the plant. Only problem, do you have shaving brushes in the land of the electric razor ?