Pollinators

Nimrod · #1 05/07/15, 11:09 AM

Both my plumb trees are in full bloom. Apple, cherry, and pear to follow. I have been watching the plumb trees and don't see any pollinators on the flowers. Are bees and other pollinators really scarce? I know that honey bees have been declining but what about the other pollinators?

Patchouli · #2 05/07/15, 04:12 PM

We have tons of bees here, my garden has been buzzing with them for a couple of months now. But I am in a completely different state.

Sumatra · #3 05/07/15, 05:39 PM

I've seen a few bumblebees here and there in recent years, but not much else.

Smitty0560 · #4 05/08/15, 05:25 AM

Look into something called mason bees. I've just recently heard of them. Might be worth investigating.

mmoetc · #5 05/08/15, 05:53 AM

My plums here in central wisconsin were almost buzzing with all the activity yesterday. From honeybees down to tiny wasps everybody was busy.

geo in mi · #6 05/08/15, 06:54 AM

This study by Penn State offers most of the information you are asking for: http://extension.psu.edu/plants/tree...ve-pollinators

Here in a major fruit growing area of Michigan, this week we will be seeing the trucked in hives of honeybees in the apple orchards, which are nearly in bloom now. They will be trucked away, then the growers will start spraying......Not only to kill coddling moths and other insect invaders, but also to thin the fruit set. Hmmm, seems there ought to be a better way, huh? In the homesteader's orchard, some of the ideas from Penn State can help, by allowing solitary bees, bumblebees, and ground dwellers to live and help pollinate the fruits. Or, we can stand around and wring our hands about the loss of the non-native honybees....

geo

Nimrod · #7 05/08/15, 10:37 AM

Thanks for the info. I am not spraying or doing anything to discourage the bees. Guess I'll have to take what comes.

fishhead · #8 05/08/15, 05:27 PM

My Nanking Cherries just bloomed and so are my wild plums and choke cherries. So far I've only seen 2 bumble bees. I don't spray anything other than the poison ivy.

light rain · #9 05/08/15, 05:46 PM

I've heard that the bumble bees are in decline too. I've seen less than 10 honeybees on our property in the last 5 years. Last year a sharp decline in bumblebees too. I use no pesticides on our plants but there are a lot of commercial potato, soybean and corn fields in our area.

If not this year by next year I'll have housing made for the mason bees here. I have seen a couple in the last week.

fishhead · #10 05/08/15, 05:47 PM

I just checked my plum stand and didn't see a single bee.

I did a quick search and found that you can now buy bumble bee hives for pollination.

Bearfootfarm · #11 05/08/15, 07:21 PM

Quote:

I use no pesticides on our plants but there are a lot of commercial potato, soybean and corn fields in our area.

I live in the middle of hundreds of acres of farmland, and there's been a wild bee hive under one of my outbuildings every year for about 6 years now.

I have a neighbor who raises bees, and he's taken two swarms from here

Corn and Soybeans are wind pollinated, and since potatoes grow from tubers, they need no pollination

light rain · #12 05/08/15, 09:03 PM

That all may be true, but something has adversely affected the honey bees, bumble bees and toads in our area. It is dramatic when you see the absence over the years. Pesticides may not be the culprit, possibly herbicides or fungicides.

I know what I see. Do you have another explanation for the bee and toad decline?

Patchouli · #13 05/08/15, 10:32 PM

Tons of toads here too but no commercial agriculture for 20 miles at least in any direction.

Bearfootfarm · #14 05/08/15, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Pesticides may not be the culprit, possibly herbicides or fungicides.

Herbicides and Fungicides are Pesticides.
There are lots of thing that have contributed to the decline of Honey Bees

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder

Quote:

The mechanisms of CCD and the reasons for its increasing prevalence remain unclear, but many possible causes have been proposed: pesticides, primarily neonicotinoids; infections with Varroa and Acarapis mites; malnutrition; various pathogens; genetic factors; immunodeficiencies; loss of habitat; changing beekeeping practices; or a combination of factors.[9]

Amphibian and Reptile populations are declining worldwide, even in area where there is no extensive farming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline...an_populations

Quote:

Since the 1980s, declines in amphibian populations, including population crashes and mass localized extinctions, have been noted from locations all over the world. These declines are perceived as one of the most critical threats to global biodiversity, and several causes are believed to be involved, including disease, habitat destruction and modification, exploitation, pollution, pesticide use, introduced species, and ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B). However, many of the causes of amphibian declines are still poorly understood, and the topic is currently a subject of much ongoing research.

Glacialtill · #15 05/09/15, 07:46 AM

I stumbled onto this cool idea a while back. Insect hotels:

http://www.inspirationgreen.com/insect-habitats.html

The insects need a place to live. Give them a place to live. And create an ecosystem where you have a season long succession of flowering plants to feed them. They'll show up. And hang around.

I don't know what's going on with the pollinator collapse. Mites? Pesticides? Probably.

Rita · #16 05/09/15, 09:40 AM

No honeybees for several years and last year very few bumblebees but this year the bumblebee population has exploded! They have been working the ajuga and the blueberries.

Alder · #17 05/09/15, 10:38 AM

Nimrod,
I'm probably north of you...my apple and plum flower buds are still small and tight, but last year, I was thinking the same as you. Seems the trees bloom so early that there is little bee and wasp activity yet. What I did notice was that on sunny days there were tiny little mosquito-sized wasps working the flowers. Not many, but apparently enough to get the job done.

fishhead · #18 05/09/15, 03:45 PM

I was just working in the garden. It's sunny and fairly calm. I saw lots of small flying insects working the blossoms of the wild plums.

light rain · #19 05/09/15, 03:53 PM

BearFootFarm, I didn't ask for links about the decline, I asked what YOU think is behind the dwindling numbers. As for the semantics of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides and classifications I'll have to look into that. If I find I'm wrong I have no problem admitting it. To do otherwise would be telltale sign of weakness...

Patchouli · #20 05/09/15, 05:16 PM

I have a feeling the decline is a combination of factors rather than just one. They are thriving here where we are and I have a few friends who are beekeepers who have not had the losses people have seen in other areas. Seems to me research ought to put some focus on places like here to see what we don't have that places they are dying do have.