What's eating my blueberry 'top hat'?

Top Hat is a compact dwarf blueberry often grown in pots on patios, which brings it within easy reach of birds and makes it just as vulnerable to spotted wing drosophila as full-size bushes. Its small size makes netting straightforward. Aphids and spider mites occur on potted specimens, especially in dry conditions.

Berries pecked or swallowed whole; the compact, accessible form of Top Hat makes it especially easy for birds to work through the entire crop Cover with fine netting before fruit colours; for pot-grown plants, move under a fruit cage or use a dedicated pot net with a drawstring base

Eggs laid inside developing berries; larvae cause berries to collapse and turn mushy days before harvest Exclusion netting is the most reliable defence; spinosad sprays applied at early colour change and again five to seven days later reduce adult populations

Colonies on shoot tips distort new growth and leave sticky honeydew; aphids may transmit blueberry shoestring virus reducing long-term productivity Blast off with water; apply insecticidal soap; ladybirds and parasitic wasps are effective natural controls

Pale, stippled leaves; webbing on shoot tips in hot dry conditions; affected leaves yellow and may drop early Increase watering frequency and mist foliage to raise humidity; apply horticultural oil or introduce predatory mites; avoid placing pots in excessively hot, sheltered spots