North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[road's end farm <organic101@linkny.com>]

On Aug 2, 2005, at 12:08 PM, athagan@atlantic.net wrote:

> The mason bee discussion has me wondering how many of you all see
> non-honeybee pollinators on your fruit plants and their relative
> importance to your overall pollination?
>
> I know this year were it not for my local native bumblebees and
> southeastern blueberry bees I'd have seen very little pollination at
> all.  Since the weather first warmed this year I haven't seen more
> than a handful of honeybees.
>
> My Seminole pumpkins are still blossoming and the bumblebees will be
> in every new blossom as soon as it's light enough to see.
>
> .....Alan.

I get lots of other pollinators. I often can't tell what they are; 
they're moving around too fast for me to get a good look (and I'm 
running too fast to take the time to catch and inspect them). It's 
definitely multiple species, though (including some bumblebees, but 
also several smaller things); and I've had pollination even when there 
were few if any honeybees flying.


--Rivka
Finger Lakes NY; zone 5 mostly
organic management