Bird Shield®
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Biodegradable Bird Repellents for Agriculture, Industry and the Garden. Off The Wires, News & Views.
Vol. 2, No.2. February, 2010.
Repelling Birds from Blueberries
Since the introduction of Bird Shield Repellent® in the 1990’s it has been used to protect blueberries from bird damage with considerable success. When used at appropriate application rates damage has been reduced to less than 1% of the crop in a number of trial fields with no residual effects on crop quality.
Most high bush blueberry growers limited their use of Bird Shield® to young plantings with heavy bird pressure due to the difficulty of access for tractor drawn sprayers through older, closely spaced plantings. Aerial application did not provide the desired results. In crops where the entire field was treated fewer birds were recorded and less fruit fell or was damaged than in comparable, adjacent untreated fields. Higher yields, as much as 50% higher than those obtained in previous years, were recorded by some growers and most growers commented on the much lower numbers of birds seen on the treated fields. The treated fields had, in most cases, a history of significant damage over the preceding 5 years. Reports from the packing houses which processed the treated crops confirmed that there were no adverse effects on the crop from the Bird Shield®.
The repellent was applied with power sprayers when the fruit began to ripen or when birds started to feed on the crop. It lasted 6 to 8 days when applied at the full strength of 1 part Bird Shield® to 99 parts water and applied until the plant was dripping wet. Complete foliar saturation was required to achieve comprehensive coverage and repellency, 40 to 50 gallons per acre was adequate for young blue berries while older plantings required 60 to 80 gallons per acre. Repeated applications at of 3 to 4 intervals during harvest insured complete protection. Although Bird Shield® decomposed as expected when exposed to sunlight and high temperatures, it was not affected by rainfall when applied to a dry surface, so it remained effective for the anticipated period between the repeat applications.
More test results on blueberry crops
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here for a printable copy of our brochure for blueberries
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