grogglies and such!

[submariner]

I have just changed my pherimone traps for coddling moth etc. I was amazed how few there were this year. Last year at the time I changed them, there were hundreds of the little blighters. This year though, there were so few that I could count them on the fingers of my two hands.
Unfortunately, it looks as if the good grogglies are few and far between also, because my peppers, toms and runners are slow to set.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Submariner, i have just come back from my allotments, and over there the first thirty foot row of my runner beans are up o the top of the canes and full of flower, but walking along the row i only counted two bumble bees and no honey bees.
I think this must be down to all the wet weather we have had.

But what i am surprised about, is that they are starting to set fairly well.

[FatB]

Our garden is flanked on two sides by a large soft fruit farm including acres and acres of strawberry polytunnels. Because of the lack of home grown bees they import boxes of them from the continent. The entrances to the boxes have a two way switch and to start with the bees can get in and out at will. When the farmer considers the job done he flicks the switch and the bees can only get in, but not out again. After a few days when the buzzing dies down they dump all the boxes on the bonfire! I queried the callousness of this approach and they said the bees are not native and, if left, they would over run our own bees. At first we had lots of bees in the house, the polytunnel and around the garden, but now I'm hardly seeing any. Most things are continuing to set OK but the runner beans and the tomatoes have slowed right down. One question: do any other insects besides bees pollinate plants? FatB.

[alan refail]

"One question: do any other insects besides bees pollinate plants?"

Quick answer: Yes.

Just about any insect which visits flowers for pollen/nectar will pollinate. Wasps and hoverflies (many species of each) are very important.

http://www.uknature.co.uk/wasps.html
http://www.uknature.co.uk/hoverflies.html

It's a good idea to have plenty of attactant flowers around your garden.

Alan