North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>]

> I think my secret to attracting native bees early is the thousands of 
> crocuses (croci)that I've planted in the grass in the orchard floor---they 
> make a great show and draw in bees starting in April.
>   


What, dandelions won't work?  :-)

Seriously, do you have to worry about competition at all? Do bees on 
flowering plants mean that they don't need to visit your fruit trees? Or 
does the attraction effect of large numbers of blooms counter that?

My apricot was blooming earlier than anything, of course (I don't have 
crocuses, though), and it appeared that I was getting a few - just a few 
- honeybees, and even a few butterflies, from somewhere (since my 
solitary bees never emerged). But later, when my pluots were blooming, 
there were lots of things blooming - including dandelions - and I never 
saw a single bee around the pluots (and I don't seem to have any fruit).

I just wondered about the effect of competition. Then again, crocuses 
bloom so very early that there's not going to be much else blooming 
around here, I suppose.

Bill
Lincoln, NE (zone 5)

--
Never eat anything that could be older than your grandmother. - Dr. 
Milton Love, Marine Biologist