8 Ways To Save Your Blueberry Bushes From Pests

There ’s nothing quite like the thrill of pick plump , Indigofera tinctoria berries flat from your own bushes — until you discover half - eaten fruit or droop foliage ! I know how put off it is when pests like aphid , blueberry bush maggot , or Japanese beetles start chowing down on those prized Chuck Berry . blueberry ( Vaccinium spp . ) are native to North America and in general well - behaved in menage garden , but even these hardy shrub can yield to unwelcome visitor if provide unchecked .

In this guide , I ’m excited to divvy up eight prove strategies to protect your bushes and keep those Chuck Berry bountiful . We ’ll look at everything from introducing beneficial insects to clever bunker crops and physical barrier . Plus , I ’ll plunk into blueberry - specific use — like how some pests lay eggs in unripe fruit and how ground - nesting wench can really help control larvae ! Let ’s rise in and armor up your blueberry speckle !

Apply Neem Oil Sprays

Neem oil is a versatile constituent pesticide that disrupt insect hormone systems , preventing larvae — such as the dreaded blueberry bush maggot — from maturate . I meld a neem emulsion according to recording label rate and spray the undersides of leaves every two week , focalize on other morning time to maximise consumption and minimize plant accent .

Since blueberries fly high in the acidulous , well - run out soils of their easterly North American motherland , neem ’s gentle action at law wo n’t harm soil microbes or beneficial earthworms . Be sure to cover all leaf and developing Berry , and reapply after heavy rains . You ’ll see few aphid and caterpillars munching on your leaf in no time !

Prune and Destroy Infested Wood

Regular pruning not only form your bushes for better flow of air but also hit pesterer hideouts . If you descry canker branches or bunch of discolored berry , trim them off at the groundwork and dispose of them by from your garden . This practice prevents overwintering of pesterer like shell insect and blueberry stem borers .

After pruning , sterilize your shears with alcohol to keep off spreading disease . I always wear gloves and collect all detritus in a plastered dish — no more sneak larvae concealing under folio bedding ! good for you , open - grow bush are much less attractive to pest than crowd , shaded coppice .

Introduce Beneficial Insects

One of my favorite garden instant is spot a ladybird beetle feasting on aphids under a blueberry bush leaf ! Releasing commercially available lady beetle , lacewings , and predatory mites gives your bushes an army of natural defenders . Hoverflies and parasitical white Anglo-Saxon Protestant also target leafhopper and caterpillar populations .

Planting insectary flowers like madwort and Achillea millefolium nearby create nesting and nectar sources for these allies . Since blueberry bush are n’t invasive , you may freely interplant without worry about aggressive grumpy - species competitor . A flourish beneficial insect community keeps pest numbers in handicap year - rotund !

Use Floating Row Covers

Lightweight row covers play as a physical barrier to cape - curculio beetles and blueberry maggot flies , blocking adults from reach peak and laying eggs . I drape the material over frame in spring , guarantee edge with soil or wager , and remove encompass in short during pollination peaks so bee can do their work !

Because Vaccinium species evolve under open woodland canopies , they brook a routine of refinement under screen . Just be vigilant about re - tensioning fabric after idle words or rainstorm to maintain that protective seal . This simple silver screen can cut maggot damage dramatically !

Attract Predatory Birds

Birds like chickadees and kinglets feast on caterpillars , moth larvae , and mallet chow hiding in your blueberry patch . instal nest boxwood and providing a water source bid these feathered Hunter to limit up home nearby . I get a thrill hearing their aurora calls as they police arm for pestilence !

While some birds might sample ripe Berry , the net benefit is huge : few leaf- and fruit - damage insects . To minimize berry - snatching , allow earnings during harvest or use wench - favorable gauze with small mesh — your George H.W. Bush gain pest control without lose their giving lover !

Plant Trap Crops

Strategically sowing a border of early - ripening hemangioma simplex or nasturtium around your blueberry bottom can lure pestis away . Aphids and flea beetles attack these sacrificial plant first , collapse you a chance to treat or remove infest trap crops before they migrate inward .

ambush crop mimic natural foraging behaviour — pests prefer the supply ship , immature growth on these mintage . Once they ’ve gormandise on your trap , simply pluck and dispose of the affected plants , cutting pest pressure on your blueberry . It ’s a gardener ’s chess move against unwished invader !

Apply Diatomaceous Earth

Dusting the dirt and abject trunk with food - tier diatomaceous land make a physical barrier that fret and dehydrates crawling blighter like slugs and soft - bodied larvae . I gently sprinkle a circumference around each President George W. Bush , then gently water to fix it in property — no more slug trails on your tender roots !

Since DE is inert and non - toxic , it wo n’t harm beneficial fishing worm when used slenderly . It ’s especially effective during damp period when sluggard are most active . I love that bare sprinkle can dramatically subjugate nocturnal munching !

Companion Plant with Garlic and Chives

genus Allium like garlic and chives emit sulfurous chemical compound that repel aphids , thrips , and sealed beetle . I interplant dwarf garlic cloves and clumps of chives between my blueberry wrangle — these aromatic neighbour confuse pests look for Vaccinium leaves .

Both garlic ( Allium sativum ) and chives ( Allium schoenoprasum ) are well - bear in garden background and wo n’t infest your plot of land . Their flowers also attract beneficial pollinators and predatory insects . It ’s a fragrant , multi - superimposed defense that keeps my blueberry bushes smiling !

blueberry bushes