This may be old info to long-time fruit growers, but I stumbled across
something last week, that I'm going to try.
I've got a little 'French Pink" pussy willow planted in a wet spot at the
edge of the yard, that was in full bloom a week or so back, and was
literally swarming with small bee/wasp type insects - I don't know enough
to determine if they were Orchard Mason bees or some other non-honeybee
pollenator types.
Plums, apricots, were in bloom, and a few peach blossoms were open, but
very few pollenators around them. Think I'll prune the pussy willow and
stick some of the cuttings in the ground along the property line near the
stonefruit section of the orchard. May be too late for this year, but it
might help attract/maintain populations in following seasons.
Lucky Pittman
USDA Zone 6
Hopkinsville, KY
[NAFEX] pollenators & early food sources,
Lucky Pittman, 04/01/2003