Fresh blueberries are delicious, healthy, snacks that have become a staple of diets around the world. Unfortunately, these poor fruit plants are susceptible to a number of different pests and diseases they need Blueberry Disease Control.

The blueberry tip borer is a moth that lays its eggs on the tips of blueberry shoots. Once the larvae hatch, they bury into the shoot and feed, causing parts of the shoots to wilt and turn brown. These pests will ultimately reduce the blueberry plant’s yield.  A common sign of infestation is a pin-sized hole (possibly plugged) located on the shoot, beneath the wilting leaves.

Another threat to the blueberry plant is the plum curculio, a tiny greyish-brown weevil equipped with a large snout. Females eat a crescent shaped hole into the blueberry and lay their eggs beneath the flap. Larva feed off of the berry until the fruit prematurely falls off of the plant. This is dangerous, as an unaware grower could easily pick the infested fruit unknowingly if it has yet to fall.

In addition to pests, blueberry plants can also suffer from a variety of diseases. Mummy berry is caused by a fungus that breeds within fallen fruit and thrives in warm and wet conditions. Once the fungus has developed, come spring, the fungus spores will then attack the newly developing buds. The prevalence of mummy berry seems to be dependent on the weather. Plant pathology specialist Jay Pscheidt elaborates, “In years like 2013, we don’t see mummy berry a whole lot […] Then we get a wet spring, and it can seem to blow up overnight”.

Cane gall is another unpredictable blueberry illness caused by bacteria in soil. The roots and crown of the plant develop spongy, knobby swellings that eventually begin to disintegrate. This disease results in dry, seedy berries. It also makes it much more difficult for the plant to grow new canes, which is doubly distressing to the plant because the infected galls are much weaker and more susceptible to wind and winter damage.

It is easier to prevent an infection/infestation than it is to cure one that’s already occurred. Sunbelt Research II has designed a special Blueberry Spray Solution (B.S.S) specifically for Blueberry Disease Control, protection and treatment of multiple diseases. In addition to the ailments mentioned above, this B.S.S. is also effective in treating fruit worm infestation, powdery mildew, twig blights, botrytis blossom blight and leaf spots.