When it comes to blueberries, humans aren’t the only ones that enjoy these tasty treats. Birds seeking food see your blueberry bushes as an easy meal. To prevent this, there are various methods to consider that will protect your plants from hungry birds.
How to Protect Blueberry Bushes from Birds with Netting
One of the most common methods for protecting blueberry bushes from birds is with netting. By placing netting over blueberry bushes, it becomes harder for birds to get to the fruit and take from your harvest.
Netting is readily available and relatively easy to install, but does come with some disadvantages. These risks include:
- Plant damage. Branches and other sections of the blueberry bushes may be damaged by the installation of bird netting.
- Growth defects. When placing netting over your plants, there is a risk of slowing down the growth of your blueberry bushes.
- Trapping birds. Since netting forms a covering, there is a chance birds can get trapped inside it while trying to access the fruit.
Related: Bird Netting Do’s and Don’ts
How to Protect Blueberry Bushes from Birds with Caging
Another tactic berry farmers use to protect their berries is caging. This method also involves bird netting, but instead of draping it over the bushes, it’s fitted over u-shaped supports.
Caging fixes a few of the flaws that come with netting including damaging branches and slowing new growth. However, caging still has its flaws. It can still trap birds inside the netting, it’s time-consuming and it’s not practical for large scale operations.
How to Protect Blueberry Bushes from Birds with Liquid Repellent
A product that is less time consuming than netting or caging is liquid bird repellent. Liquid bird repellent is an effective and harmless method to getting rid of unwanted birds.
Liquid bird repellent can be applied directly to the blueberry bushes on the ground or by plane in a relatively quick manner. Most liquid bird repellents work by irritating birds’ sensory nerves causing them to fly away from the applied area.
Related: Best Practices for Effective Bird Pest Control
Avian Enterprises: The Solution to Your Blueberry Bandits
Avian Enterprises’ liquid bird repellent Avian Control helps remove unwanted birds from your blueberry bushes in a safe and effective way.
Avian Control is EPA-registered and has mild enough ingredients to be used around humans and other animals. Shop now for an effective, safe, non-lethal solution or contact us at 888.868.1982 for more information.
How to Protect Blueberry Bushes from Birds