Blueberries
New York State has a little more than 700 acres of blueberries in production yielding about 2 million pounds of blueberries annually making it the 9th most important blueberry production state in the nation. Increased consumer interest in dark colored fruit containing high amounts of healthful antioxidants has resulted in many more acres being planted over the past several years. This is despite the soil pH requirement of 4.5 that blueberries, a member of the acid-loving Ericaceae family require.It takes nearly 8 years for blueberries to reach their mature production, but a well maintained planting can remain economically viable for up to 40 years or more yielding in excess of 10,000 lbs/acre. Ninety-five percent of this production is hand-picked and sold as fresh fruit with the remaining 5% going to value added products.
Highbush blueberries are grown throughout the majority of the state, but in northern NY and the Adirondacks, cultivars that are crosses between the Maine low-bush and northern high-bush blueberries result in a smaller bush that is much more winter hardy. The threat from late spring frosts remains a challenge to blueberry growers throughout the state. Blueberries have a relatively small pest complex making it a favorite berry for organic production.
For more information about blueberry production, visit the Cornell Berry website.
Relevant Events
2025 Berry Twilight Meetings
July 2, 2025 : Berry Twilight Meeting at Dressel Farms
New Paltz, NY
July 16, 2025 : Berry Twilight Meeting at Samascott Orchards
Kinderhook, NY
August 6, 2025 : Berry Twilight Meeting at Fishkill Farms
Hopewell Junction, NY
Mid Hudson Valley Hard Cider Tour
August 7, 2025
Hopewell Junction, NY
Eastern New York Late Summer Orchard Meeting
August 13, 2025 : Eastern New York Late Summer Orchard Meeting
Ballston Spa, NY
Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in NY Berry Crops
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in New York Berry Crops - Quick Guide
Updated May 2024
2023 Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in NY Berries
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
May 2023 - Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in New York Berry Crops - Quick Guide
Irrigation for Berry Production
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
SWD Insecticides Quick Guide 2020
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
June 2020 - Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in New York Berry Crops - Quick Guide
Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
June 2018 - Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in New York Berry Crops - Quick Guide
Cranberry Fruitworms - a significant pest in blueberries.
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Fruitworms overwinter as larvae and pupate in the spring, emerging as adult moths after the start of bloom and usually before early fruit set. Moths move into blueberry plantings when fruit is small and lay eggs directly on the fruit. The larvae hatch and tunnel into the fruit and begin feeding. Find out how to control these pests here!
Managing Anthracnose Fruit Rot of Blueberries
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Anthracnose is a serious pre- and post-harvest fruit rot in most blueberry growing regions. The flowers are infected early in the spring. The fruit rot appears on ripe fruit with orange spore masses. Find out how to manage this disease here.
Early Season Weed Control in Berry Crops
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
2018 Eastern New York Fruit & Vegetable Conference Small Fruit Presentations
Presentations from the 2018 ENYCHP Eastern New York Fruit & Vegetable Conference held February 20th and 21st for the small fruit section.
Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in New York Berries
A Quick Guide to Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in New York Berry Crops
Compiled by Greg Loeb, Laura McDermott, Peter Jentsch, Tess Grasswitz, & Juliet Carroll, Cornell University. Updated regularly.
Insecticides to Control Spotted Wing Drosophila
Current 2016 SWD Insecticides and Rates
2016 SWD Exclusion Study- SARE Project Report
Abigail Henderson, Senior Administrative Assistant
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
The use of insect netting on existing bird netting support systems to exclude spotted-wing Drosophila from a mature small-scale commercial highbush blueberry planting
2016 Berry School - Disease Diagnosis Talk
Anne Mills, Field Technician
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
2016 Berry School - Disease Management Talk
Anne Mills, Field Technician
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Berry School 2016- Blueberry Pruning and Rejuvination
Anne Mills, Field Technician
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Berry School 2016- Small Fruit Resources
Anne Mills, Field Technician
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
The Commercial Storage of Fruits, Vegetables, and Florist and Nursery Stocks
Craig Kahlke, Team Leader, Fruit Quality Management
Lake Ontario Fruit Program
The information contained in this preliminary version of HB-66 has been assembled from information prepared by nearly 100 authors from around the world. The version posted here is a revised copy of a Draft made available online in November 2002 for author and public review and comment.
Blueberry Specific Insecticides for SWD
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Cranberry and Cherry Fruit Worm
A number of growers have been calling with a question about blueberry clusters strung together with webbing or frass or both. Most people cannot find a larvae (although they are there!), but are alarmed with picker complaints. The pest in question is fruit worm either cranberry or cherry. Both insects have very similar life cycles and the damage is similar, but the chemical control materials differ slightly, so it will be important to be able to differentiate.
The adult moths lay their eggs in late May and early June at the base of the newly set fruit. Larvae of both
species attack green fruit. There are sex pheromones available for both pests and monitoring should begin in late April to optimize spray timing. Usually two sprays are necessary the first at petal fall and the second 10 days later. Organically approved materials include Entrust and Dipel DF. Other materials include Azasol, or Molt-X, Sevin, Malathion, Imidan, Esteem and Delegate, among others.
Check the Guidelines for more control information and visit this site for fact sheets about fruitworms: http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/berry/ipm/ipmpdfs/bbfruitworm.pdf
Effects of Fruit Cooling on Spotted Wing Drosophila
Spotted Winged Drosophila found locally and throughout New York and New England
Laura McDermott, Team Leader, Small Fruit and Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
In light of these findings, blueberry, summer and fall raspberry and day-neutral strawberry growers are urged to be vigilant about this pest.
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Upcoming Events
Worker Protection Standards Mock Inspection with the DEC
August 4, 2025 : Worker Protection Standards Mock Inspection with the DEC
Highland, NY
Join ENCHP and DEC staff for a WPS mock inspection. Attendees will split into groups and rotate between multiple stations. 2 core DEC Credits are available for this meeting. This event is free and there is no registration necessary.
2025 Berry Twilight Meetings
July 2, 2025 : Berry Twilight Meeting at Dressel Farms
New Paltz, NY
Join Heather Kase, CCE ENYCHP, and Anna Wallis, Cornell IPM, for seasonal updates on berry pest man-agement and IPM.
July 16, 2025 : Berry Twilight Meeting at Samascott Orchards
Kinderhook, NY
Join Heather Kase, CCE ENYCHP, and Anna Wallis, Cornell IPM, for seasonal updates on berry pest man-agement and IPM.
August 6, 2025 : Berry Twilight Meeting at Fishkill Farms
Hopewell Junction, NY
Join Heather Kase, CCE ENYCHP, and Anna Wallis, Cornell IPM, for seasonal updates on berry pest man-agement and IPM.
Mid Hudson Valley Hard Cider Tour
August 7, 2025
Hopewell Junction, NY
Join the Cornell Hard Cider PWT and visit multiple stops throughout the Mid Hudson Valley Region.