[Kajazy]

I got back from a long weekend away to find all my strawberry plants, which were in one of those strawberry containers, dead, dead, dead. Anyone got any ideas why? The compost wasn't dry, I'd better add. Having pulled them out today, I did notice some writhing white bugs in the soil, and around the bottom of each plant by the roots was a sort of orange-brown sandy-or-sawdusty-looking debris. I would post pics, but my camera was pinched ! 

[Yorkie]

Not sure about the debris, but try googling for vine weevil to see if they were the bugs you saw.  They have brown heads.

[Kajazy]

Having googled them, it sounds 'promising' - I'll have a closer look at the critters tomorrow in daylight (if I have the stomach for it - yuck! grubs make me shudder!) - presumably I have to get rid of the compost from the pot somewhere where they won't infect the rest of my garden?

[Elaine G]

My sympathies, been there.
If you pick the bugs out of the compost your friendly neighbourhood robin will love them.
Mine ate over 50 of them 
And yes you must dispose of the compost as you can never pick out all of the bugs.

Elaine

[Salmo]

If you decide that it is vine weevil then they will be in all your other pots and will chew roots bulbs and corms by the Spring. Lilies seem to be a favorite food.

All you need to know is here

http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/vineweevil.htm