A high-performance, natural solution for blueberry crop improvement
BVT’s comprehensive, stackable system uses commercially-reared bees to deliver highly targeted pest and disease control without harmful chemicals.
Increase your crop yield
Experience a higher crop yield in blueberries per acre
Reduce fungicide usage
Reduce (or even eliminate) the number of fungicide sprays applied
Grow healthier plants
Plants achieve a higher vigor rating than fungicide treated crops
Extend shelf life
Provide a longer lasting crop that offers more economic value to retailers
Common diseases affecting blueberries
Blueberries and caneberries (which include raspberries and blackberries) are susceptible to a number of common diseases that can wreak havoc on plant health, berry yield and ultimately shelf life from farm to plate. The BVT system has been specifically engineered to target these fungal diseases, dramatically improving crops all season long.
What is it?
Mummy berry is an important disease of high bush and low bush blueberries in North America. Affected berries are whitish and shriveled. Young leaf shoots and flower clusters can be severely blighted. Yield losses from this disease can be heavy.
How does it enter the plant?
In early spring, small cup shaped spore-bearing structures called apothecia are produced from overwintering mummies on the ground. These mummies break dormancy around the same time that the blueberry buds begin to swell in spring. Mummies develop mature apothecia about one month later, when blueberry leaf shoots are emerging. Spores (ascospores) produced by the apothecia are liberated during cool, wet weather and are carried by air currents to the young emerging leaf and flower shoots. These spores infect and blight the young shoots and secondary spores called “conidia” are produced in great abundance on the blighted leaves. These conidia are carried by wind or insects to open flowers, where they infect developing fruit that is still in the flower stage. Prior to harvest, infected berries become light cream-color rather than normal blue and drop to the ground. These infected fruit, if left on the ground, form overwintering mummies and provide a source of disease the following year.
Where does it come from?
Berries infected with mummy berry from the previous year are the initial source of mummy berry infections.
Additional Resources
- Pacific Northwest Plant Disease Management Handbook
- The American Phytopathological Society
- eXtension.org
What is it?
Botrytis blight is a fungal disease caused by Botrytis cinerea. It causes a blossom blight, twig blight and leaf blight. Spores of the fungus are spread by wind and splashing rain. The disease is promoted by extended cool, wet conditions. The fungus overwinters in plant debri and reproduce on dead tissue. Botrytis infects the flower blossom then spreads to the fruit causing fuzzy grey mold symptoms on fruit. Post harvest fruit rot can also occur.
How does it enter the plant?
Botrytis invades the foliage of blueberry crops and appears as fuzzy grey mold on the leaves as they yellow and turn brown. The disease spreads in the crop by means of spores dispersed from the fuzzy growth. Spores readily infect the blossoms, which may become blighted, and spread from the blossoms into the developing fruit. Fruit rot appears primarily on ripening berries or after they have been picked.
Where does it come from?
Botrytis is ubiquitous in many kinds of cultivated and wild plants outdoors and is extremely common in wherever fruit and vegetables are grown. Botrytis is spread by airborne spores throughout a field.
Additional Resources
- BVT Video: How Botrytis infects a plant
- BVT Info: Clonostachys as a biological control for Botrytis
- Pacific Northwest Plant Disease Management Handbook
- University of Florida IFAS Extension
- eXtension.org
The natural way to improve yields
BVT’s easy-to-use tray system introduces natural organic compounds to blueberry plants using commercially-reared bees.
As the bees pollinate a crop, they leave behind the foundation for a season-long pest and disease management program that encourages even and progressive growth, resulting in a healthy, high yield harvest.

The BVT dispenser system contains the inoculant crop control as a part of the Vectorpak™ tray with Vectorite™ powder. The mixture allows the bees to effectively pick up the product on their way out of the hive.
Reduce your chemical sprays
BVT can help growers reduce chemical sprays by 30-50%.
Eliminate traditional spraying
Spraying of fungicides is the most commonly used method for combating disease in a blueberry crop. Because many diseases do not exhibit symptoms until it is too late, spraying is used preventatively across an entire crop. Fungicide spraying is usually done at intervals over a calendar period, prohibiting consistent crop progression since each spray cycle stunts plant growth.
Start your demonstration today!
Contact one of our representatives to setup an on-site demonstration of the BVT system to experience the improvement it can have on your crop yield.