What Can You Cover Blueberry Bushes With to Keep the Birds Out?

Netting

• Netting is one form of bird control for blueberries. It can be expensive but will last through several seasons and offers good control. Use flexible nets with at least three-quarter-inch mesh. Throw the nets over the bushes once you start to see fruit. Don't throw nets over flowering bushes as you may exclude pollinators.

Frame Netting

• Nets also can be placed on frames. This type of netting allows for easier harvest and is less likely to damage bushes. Sink sturdy wooden poles in the ground, deep enough to be secure. The size of your crop will determine the dimensions of the frame. Once the frame is up, string wire across the tops of the poles and staple it in place. Netting then can be draped over the wire.

Organic Deterrents

• If you don't want to spend the time or money covering your blueberries with nets, you can cover them with an organic spray. According to the University of Massachusetts Extension, the flavoring used in grape-flavored powdered-drink mix is distasteful to birds. The extension's directions call for mixing four packets of the grape-flavored product in 1 gallon of water and spraying it on your bushes as soon as the fruit begins to color. You may need to reapply a few times during the season. The grape ingredient, methyl anthranilate, is sold commercially. Table sugar also can be used to deter birds. Dissolve 5 pounds of it in 2 quarts of boiling water and then spray the cooled solution on bushes. Reapply often, as the sugar water solution wears off easily.

Other Methods

• Washington State University recommends using visual deterrents to minimize bird damage to blueberry crops. Kites or wind socks shaped like hawks, helium balloons painted with hawk's eyes or animated owl figurines can be effective. These deterrents should be moved periodically so birds don't get used to seeing them and lose their fear.