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A natural control for an invasive fly that has plagued soft-fruit crops like Maine’s wild blueberries is being tested by scientists at the University of Maine. Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) infest healthy, ripening fruit with their eggs and larvae, impacting their marketability. Without control measures, the flies can destroy nearly 80% of late-season berry crops. […] ....
January 20, 2021 Outreach According to a new University of Maine study, a natural way to support Maineâs wild blueberry industry is to cultivate plants popular with bees such as butterfly weed, starflower, summer sweet, sweet clover and swamp rose. Recent declines in wild native bee populations have garnered global attention, particularly in Maine where blueberry growers depend on bees to pollinate their crops. While bumblebees ( Bombus spp.) are recognized as the most effective pollinators of wild blueberries, Maine growers are increasingly relying on Apis mellifera, a non-native bee, to pollinate their fields. Establishing bee reservoirs to provide forage when the blueberries are not in bloom is one strategy that could benefit Maineâs native bumblebees while sustaining an economically important agricultural industry. ....