Cherry tree help

Question: We have a montmorency cherry tree in our front yard. Recent the leaves started to discolor and I’m worried the tree is dying. Can you help me identify what is happening to it.

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied August 05, 2024, 4:11 PM EDT
response: Hi Joseph, I'm sorry to hear about your tree! From what I can see, that looks like insect damage.  The "window panes" are typical damage of both pear slugs (a type of sawfly) and Japanese beetles, both of which eat Cherry trees.  Have you seen any insects active on the tree?   Unless the tree is defoliated completely or multiple years in a row it is likely to be just fine, just make sure it is getting adequate water (which it likely is, from the lawn). I hope this is helpful! Cordially, John

responder: The Question Asker Replied August 07, 2024, 8:55 PM EDT
response: I haven’t noticed too many bugs on the cherry tree but I’ll keep an eye out for them.  We do have a lot of Japanese beetles on our raspberries in the backyard though. What do you recommend to get rid of the Japanese beetles?  Thanks  Joseph Sent from my iPhone On Aug 5, 2024, at 2:11 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:   ﻿

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied August 08, 2024, 12:36 PM EDT
response: For Japanese Beetles, if you want to eat your raspberries, a great option would be Bt variety galleriae, a bacterium that infects scarab beetles and lepidopterans when ingested.  It is safe for humans, pets, and other insects.  You can find it sold as BeetleGONE and BeetleJUS, for example.  This needs to be applied every couple of weeks (or if it rains heavily) but has residual activity that will protect your plants. For small infestations, hand-picking the beetles is an option too. For more information, please see: https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/japanese-beetle-5-601/ Good luck! John

responder: The Question Asker Replied August 17, 2024, 1:21 PM EDT
response: Thanks. I will try one of those because I hand pick about a dozen Japanese beetles each day. Any advice for strawberries? We lose about half of them to bugs or something that eats them. We have noticed slugs in the garden box with the strawberries and we hand pick those out. But I was curious if there’s anything else that might be eating our strawberries and what we can do to prevent that. ThanksJosephSent from my iPhone On Aug 8, 2024, at 10:36 AM, Ask Extension wrote:﻿

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied August 19, 2024, 10:44 AM EDT
response: HI Joseph, Many things love strawberries!  Last year we had a volunteer who discovered that foxes were eating them, for example.  To try to figure out what creature is causing the damage, you might visit the strawberry patch after dark with a flashlight; insects and slugs will be present eating at night and will hide during the day.  If you can positively ID the culprit, you can tailor a treatment option. If you can elevate the fruits as they're developing, that can help protect them from slugs or earwigs, both of which can cause a lot of damage to ripening berries.  (Some growers, particularly in organic systems, use elevated beds to try to minimize damage). Residual insecticides can also provide protection from insects.  Birds and mammals can be excluded with netting or fencing.   I hope this helps! John