Apricots are an interesting fruit to grow. I inherited some dwarf variety in
the yard of the house I'm living in. It blooms VERY early (usually the
first week in April) long before our last expected killer frost. For the
most part, I regard it as a great ornamental for its early bloom, and
especially for forcing branches indoors. There are NEVER active bees during
its blooming cycle, but it gets covered in butterflies, which are apparently
enough to get some pollination done. Then 2 weeks after the bloom there is
usually a terrible hard frost and I expect nothing. However, by early July,
there are always about 12-25 fruits hidden under leaves ripening somewhere
or other - very tasty - they will stay on the tree for about 3 weeks in a
ripe state. Three houses over from me there is some other variety of
apricot, in a lower, more protected spot. It blooms much later, is a
full-sized tree, and is covered by many hundreds of apricots which ripen in
early August. I am in Spokane, zone 5/6