North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Jim Fruth <jfruth@uslink.net>]

    The long, cold Spring must have killed off 99% of the wild bees because
the apples are in bloom and only an occasional bumblebee flies through.
Honey bees are lazy.  They never find the flowers until the bloom is nearly
over.  Anyway, the apple flowers don't have any nectar this year.  What bees
do visit the blowers, they flit from one to another few, then fly off.
    The plum bloom seemed to have a few more bees.
    As for Mason bees, I have hundreds of 5/16" nesting tubes and not one is
being used.
-- 

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN
www.bberryfarm.com
Jams, Jellies and Syrups
(218)568-8483 [Store]
(218)831-7018 [My cell]