Blueberries are a high intensity crop where commercial production includes stocking with honey BEE colonies and potentially combining these with bumble bees and investment in pollinator habitat

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Michigan State University $749,820 under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) on September 15, 2026, to compare integrated pest and pollinator management strategies in blueberry production against standard pest control programs. The work will assess the efficacy, costs, and revenues of each approach; determine the relative toxicity of various insecticide and fungicide combinations to honey bees and parasitic wasps; and develop an educational program informed by grower input on balancing pest control and pollinator health to enhance blueberry production profitability. Blueberry production relies heavily on managed pollinator colonies—honey bees and potentially bumble bees—alongside habitat investment, but faces rising pest pressure from invasive and native insect species, driving increased pesticide use that can conflict with pollinator health. Performance occurs at East Lansing, Michigan, with a period of performance from September 15, 2026, through September 14, 2029. AFRI supports research, education, extension, and integrated grants across six farm bill priority areas; this award funds research addressing plant health and production within the broader initiative's mandate to improve agricultural profitability and maintain long-term production capability.

There are also risks of infestation by indirect and direct insect pests including invasive species that have driven increased pesticide use. In this project we will compare standard programs to integrated pest and pollinator management program fields for their efficacy, costs, and revenues; we will determine the relative toxicity of various insecticide and fungicide combinations against bees and parasitic wasps; and we will deliver an educational program guided by grower input on strategies to balance pest control and pollinator health in ways that enhance blueberry production profitability.