North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[tanis cuff <tanistanis@hotmail.com>]

This reminds me to report I saw honeybees on the very early snowdrops, and on 
the slightly later scilla or blue squill.  I also saw on the scilla one of 
the larger bumblebees, and a native pollinator about 1/2 the size & twice the 
speed & duller color than honeybees.

I've never seen enough snowdrops in one place to keep a small hive fed, but 
scilla sometimes spread far in a shade/ dappled shade yard & woods.

I've also noticed honeybees interested in water, at least as much as the 
nearby flowers.

tc, s.WI z4/5, spring later than traditional normal, only pin cherries & wild 
plums & sheltered pears in bloom.

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> Subject: [nafex] pollination and bumblebees
>
> I was watching the bumblebees on my blueberry bushes this weekend, and it 
> looked like they were territorial! Has anyone else seen one bumble bee 
> drive another away before?
>
> I was pleased to see several large bumble bees, a few smaller things that 
> were probably orchard bees (but they didn't hold still for me to identify 
> them) and a lot of little flies or something. Over on the apple-crop list 
> for commercial apple growers, a lot of people have been commenting on the 
> lack of wild pollinators this year, but I have been pleased by the number 
> and diversity of insects in my blossoms. And I've never seen more fruit set 
> on the Cornus Mas, although it is still early, and the trees may drop the 
> proto-fruits.
>
> Ginda
> eastern MA, zone 6
> __________________
>