Maine blueberries vs. fly: US senator files bill to help

Feb 13, 2023, 9:20 AM | Updated: 9:48 am

HFS FILE - Wild blueberries are ready for harvesting July 27, 2012, in Warren, Maine. Maine's Repub...

HFS FILE - Wild blueberries are ready for harvesting July 27, 2012, in Warren, Maine. Maine's Republican senator is introducing legislation that calls on the federal government to step up research and prevention efforts about a pest that could jeopardize the state's most important fruit, the wild blueberry. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The wild blueberry, Maine’s most important fruit, could get some help fighting off a pest under legislation proposed by the state’s Republican U.S. senator.

Maine is the only state in the country with a significant harvest of wild blueberries, which are smaller cousins to the more ubiquitous cultivated berries. The wild blueberry, which grows in the sprawling barrens of Maine’s rural east, is the state’s official berry and one of its most significant exports.

The berries are threatened by the spotted wing drosophila, a fruit fly from East Asia first detected in the United States in 2008. The fly was first located in Maine in 2011.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Monday that she has submitted a bill to establish a fund of $6.5 million per year for five years to advance research and reduce the fly’s population.

“Maine’s wild blueberries are an integral part of our state’s heritage and play a major role in our state’s economy,” Collins said. “The pervasiveness of the spotted wing drosophila has threatened the livelihoods of fruit farmers across the country.”

The fly lays eggs in fruit crops such as blueberries and raspberries. It causes more than $700 million in estimated economic loss per year nationwide, Collins said. The fly has also caused increased use of insecticide in fruit crops, she said.

The Collins proposal comes as Maine’s wild bluebery crop has recently experienced improvement after a few years of downturn. Farmers harvested more than 100 million pounds (45 million kilograms) of the berries in 2021 after falling short of that number for four years in a row. The crop was also worth more per pound in 2021 than it had been in years, state records show.

The Collins legislation, if approved, would “provide needed resources in the fight against a novel invasive pest insect,” said Eric Venturini, executive director of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine.

Collins introduced the legislation along with Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan and Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


              HFS FILE - Workers harvest wild blueberries at the Ridgeberry Farm Friday, July 27, 2012, in Appleton, Maine. Maine's Republican senator is introducing legislation that calls on the federal government to step up research and prevention efforts about a pest that could jeopardize the state's most important fruit, the wild blueberry. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
            
              HFS FILE - Wild blueberries are ready for harvesting July 27, 2012, in Warren, Maine. Maine's Republican senator is introducing legislation that calls on the federal government to step up research and prevention efforts about a pest that could jeopardize the state's most important fruit, the wild blueberry. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

AP

FILE - Gabby Petito's mother Nichole Schmidt, wipes a tear from her face during a news conference o...

Associated Press

Mother of man who killed Gabby Petito said in letter she would help son ‘dispose of a body’

The mother of the man who killed Gabby Petito told her son in an undated letter that she would “dispose of a body” if needed because she loved him so much, according to copies of the note shared publicly for the first time this week by attorneys for Petito's parents.

2 days ago

A member of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, also known as The Old Guard, places flags in front of e...

Associated Press

5 things to know about Memorial Day including its controversies

Memorial Day is supposed to be about mourning the nation’s fallen service members, but it’s come to anchor the unofficial start of summer and a long weekend of discounts on anything from mattresses to lawn mowers.

2 days ago

FILE - This artist sketch depicts the trial of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, left, as he test...

Associated Press

Officers describe chaos, fear on Jan. 6 as judge weighs prison time for Oath Keepers’ Rhodes

Police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and public servants who fled the mob's attack told a judge on Wednesday that they are still haunted by what they endured, as the judge prepares to hand down sentences in a landmark Capitol riot case.

3 days ago

Pride month merchandise is displayed at the front of a Target store in Hackensack, N.J., Wednesday,...

Associated Press

Target on the defensive after removing LGBTQ+-themed products

Target once distinguished itself as being boldly supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.

4 days ago

(Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images)...

Associated Press

Former Arizona television journalist announces bid for Schweikert’s US House seat

A former Phoenix television journalist announced her candidacy Wednesday for the congressional seat currently held by seven-term Republican Rep. David Schweikert.

4 days ago

Tortoise by Henry Davis earned an honorable mention in the "Adventures in Nature” student photo c...

Associated Press

When you adopt a desert tortoise, prepare for a surprisingly social and zippy pet

They’re not fluffy, they don’t play fetch and they certainly don’t roll over. But there is such a thing as a lap tortoise.

5 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

DAY & NIGHT AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING AND PLUMBING

Here are the biggest tips to keep your AC bill low this summer

PHOENIX — In Arizona during the summer, having a working air conditioning unit is not just a pleasure, but a necessity. No one wants to walk from their sweltering car just to continue to be hot in their home. As the triple digits hit around the Valley and are here to stay, your AC bill […]

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

5 mental health myths you didn’t know were made up

Helping individuals understand mental health diagnoses like obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder or generalized anxiety disorder isn’t always an easy undertaking. After all, our society tends to spread misconceptions about mental health like wildfire. This is why being mindful about how we talk about mental health is so important. We can either perpetuate misinformation about already […]

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

Maine blueberries vs. fly: US senator files bill to help