apple trees

[rickh]

There are several apple and paw paw trees in my next door neighbors yard. Are these major pollen and nector suppliers?

[BjornBee]

Major....No. But they do provide both. The problem is that when apples bloom, you usually see many dandelion and other spring flowers, which may be more appealing to the bees. Your bees are no doubt going to help pollinate them. But I would not consider them major, unless you had 50 acres and mowed right before the bloom.

[Eaglerock]

mowed right before the bloom.

Why is mowing a big deal? What don't I know? And I grew up next to an orchard.

[BjornBee]

Eaglerock,
Many orchards will knock down the dandelions right before bees are brought in for pollination. It cuts down the competing flowers for the bees to work. Some say it does help.

Bees will fly for more nutritious nectar sources, but that's a sliding scale. They will not go half a mile for dandelions if an apple tree is 50 feet away. But they will go below the apple tree for the dandelions.

Some farmers, instead of mowing, (and the one's I don't like), have aggressive spraying procedures to keep dandelions and clover from growing. That's why I said many times...that if not for the pollination fee, I would never have my bees on working farms, as there are much better places to keep bees.

[Hobie]

I have one apple tree, and have never seen a honeybee on it. Carpenter bees, bumbles, wasps, hornets, and a number of other pollinators (thank goodness!) but the honeybees are all elsewhere. I suspect black locust, when it coincides.

[shawnwri]

Honeybees do not pollinate pawpaw. They are pollinated primarily by flies because they flower very early and produce an odor of rotting flesh. Pawpaw growers have been know to hang roadkill in the pawpaws to help increase pollination.

[Sundance]

Bjorn is on point.......... honeybees are secondary pollinators
in most apple orchards unless other sources are suppressed.

In my climate the competition is less for apples and they do
contribute more than other areas.

[beenovice]

Depends on the year. Some years they are working apples like crazy and some years there are almost no bees to see when apple trees blossom.

[brooksbeefarm]

I have 15 apple trees and I don!t mow the dandelions or clover and every year the bees are all over them and the peaches,but they don!t seem to be to crazy about the pear trees?I also have catalpa and black locust trees that some years they work and some years you won!t find a bee on them?Females,their hard to figure out.:D

[BjornBee]

Pears are understandable. They are one of the lowest sugar source nectars. You would need to have nothing else available for bees to work them.