So much for promises of a bumper 2013 apple crop

Despite reading promises of a bumper apple crop this year, plus masses of blossom last month, only about 1 in ten flowers have been pollinated and there's still the 'June Drop' to come, so another miserable harvest this year.

Last month:


Today:

 

Nightmare Scrunge

Not enough Bees around?

 

I've only seen one honey bee so far this year, but an article I read suggested that bumble bees and hoverflies did most of the pollinating, but I haven't seen much of them either (and didn't particularly believe it).

The 3 trees I've checked so far would have produced about 1,000 lbs of apples in a bumper year, sufficient to press over 60 gallons of juice. I'm currently drowning my sorrows before checking the other trees, but my expectations of 150 gallons of juice this year (none last year) have been dashed.

 

Yeah, my apple trees have gone on strike this year too.

 

I think it was still cold when the trees were in blossom, it was on my allotment.
The cold wind which just wont let up this year.

I 'm hoping mine have set a bit better than that though.

 

That's a bit of a bummer Scrungee. Our main apple (Tydemans Early Worcester) had a massive display of late blossom, biggest ever I think, and after reading your post I've just popped out to check on the set of fruit and it's looking very good.
I think we were lucky here as the blossom was very late and the weather stayed reasonably warm thereafter.
Last year I'd only one single plum but there's plenty on this year and the pear and other apple are bearing well too. No blossom on our new dwarf stella cherry though.

Hardly any bees seen so far and no hover flies.

 

Don't despair just yet.

I have one (very) mature apple tree:

Moving in year: (2010) a meek-modest harvest
Year 1 (2011): bumper crop
Year 2 (2012): rubbish!
This year ... I'm biding my time before committing myself

Synopsis: I've learned that waiting and seeing is the only way to know for certain.

 

Mine aren't looking bad, well the Bramley isn't, might get a bumper crop from that but that is closest to my comfrey and bees love comfrey flowers.... time will tell I suppose?

 

I don't have any comfrey in my "plot" (that is despite buying some seed earlier this year; but GC members called a cull unless it is 14H or some-such? ) but even my Bramleys are looking healthy ( they are now, 14mths in the ground, from bare rooted stock, Aldi "el cheapo").

I'll take what I'm given

 

hey. I didn't get any apples on any of my trees last year ether (I thought it was something I did wrong). what was it about the weather that caused this? was it the hot weather we had early on?

 

"bocking 14" - has to be grow from root-cuttings, not available from seed.

 

Without counting, I'd say I have about 100 to 200 baby apples on my one and only apple tree in the back garden, which I only planted at the beginning of last year.

Round here, the spring started very late, so when the bumblebees first emerged for the year, nothing was in bloom. Even most of the dandelions had yet to appear, but the apple tree was blooming. I guess the bees had nowhere else to go, hence all the local apple trees, including mine, got pollinated.

Its early days yet. My apples might fail miserably, yours might still come perhaps? Is it safe to say yet?

 

Hi All
Just thought I would mention there is a shortage of bees this year a lot of hives did not make it through the winter. We can all help by not spraying insecticide when plants are in blossom as this is often when the bees will be affected.

I keep bees and have 2 honey bee hives and have 2 swarms of bumble bees that I have collected nd moved (I work in pest control also) I feel quite good about saving the bumble bees as the easy option is to just spray them.

 

Not looking good for stuff that needs bees to pollinate it

http://www.bbka.org.uk/files/pressr...r_survival_survey_13_june_2013_1371062171.pdf