Why Tiny White Worms Sometimes Appear in Strawberries After a Salt Soak
Imagine a sunny kitchen. A bowl of ripe, red strawberries sits ready to be devoured. You decide to give them a quick salt water soak—a cleaning method popular on social media.
And then it happens.
Tiny white worms begin to wriggle out of the fruit and float in the water. Surprising? Definitely. Gross? A little. Dangerous? Not usually.
What Are These Tiny White Larvae?
Most often, they are the larvae of the Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii), a small fruit fly that targets ripening berries. These larvae are tiny—just 1–3 millimeters—and translucent, which makes them hard to spot until they move.
Strawberries are perfect incubators: soft, juicy, and full of nutrients. Female flies use their serrated ovipositors to lay eggs just under the skin. Within days, larvae hatch and start feeding inside the fruit.
Why Salt Water Makes Them Appear
Salt water changes the environment. A tablespoon of salt per cup of water draws moisture out of the larvae, causing stress. This prompts them to wriggle out, making them visible in the bowl. Without this soak, many would remain hidden inside the berries.
Are They Dangerous?
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