Blueberry Bush Quit Producing Ripe Berries

Q: For several years my blueberry bushes quit ripening berries right after July
4th. The bushes are loaded but there are no ripe berries. What could be the
problem? 

A: Keep in mind that other creatures enjoy blueberries as much as you do and
they might be arising earlier than you do each day. Birds are the likely cause
of your problems. They recognize ripe fruit better than you and they start
picking at sunrise each day. The only sure way to control them is with bird
netting. Don’t simply drape netting onto the bush. Netting that’s tangled into
stems is baffling to remove. Instead, construct a big “box” from PVC
plumbing pipe to cover the bush and keep the netting away from fruit and
twigs. Make sure the netting goes down to the ground on all sides. Check the
netting each day to be sure no birds have become caught. I think you’ll find
that the berries are ripening after all.