Aphid problems can be minimized by avoiding over-fertilization of the crop. For chemical control of aphids, organic growers can use insecticidal soap. Yellow sticky cards can be employed to determine when blueberry aphids are beginning to fly in and infest the crop. These species will also be attracted to the sticky cards, making the counting of blueberry aphids difficult. Another problem is that the first few generations of blueberry aphids are often not winged, and the sticky cards will be an ineffective monitoring tool for them.
Birds are often serious pests of the fruit.
The problem with most repellents or scare tactics is that the birds usually become habituated to the stimulus, and it no longer serves to repel the birds. Properly applied bird netting has provided consistent and predictable control, but it can be expensive to purchase and set up. For local information on bird control, contact your county Cooperative Extension Service office. Diseases that may occur in blueberries include, mummy berry, Botrytis, stem blight, phythophthora root rot, a mycoplasma-caused disorder, and several virus diseases. For proper disease identification, contact your county Cooperative Extension Service office.