To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [NAFEX] apricot flowering/honey bees
Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:21:38 -0400
My zone 5 (NW Conn) largest apricot burst into bloom today, a week or
so later than usual. It's either sungold or moongold; I planted them
alphabetically but can't recall where I began. The tree was humming
with pollinators--some small waspy things, one carpenter bee, and a
hundred, maybe many more , honeybees. I don't know how to tell one
honeybee from another ; I know I have digger bees (miner bees?) on my
piece of land, but don't know of hives within a mile or so.
Usually the apricot blooms before it is warm enough for most
honeybees; the wasps and carpenter bees usually do enough. It would
help if the second apricot bloomed at the same time, but it lags, in
time and in growth. It was a joy to stand amidst the blossoms and
buzzing!