wrote in message
...
On Sat, 8 May 2004 12:35:28 -0500, "RoyDMercer"
wrote:

wrote in message
.. .
Does anyone here encourage bees (mason bees) to live in your yards?
If so, why, and have you notice a difference between when bees weren't
hanging out locally, and when they were?

I haven't paid much attention, but my fruit trees pollinated very well
this
year so I have to assume some are in the area or some other species which
pollinate fruit trees. Have you had a problem with pollination this
year?


I have no fruit trees, but I have flowing trees, and flowers. I heard
that having regular polinating creatures around will give healther and
healther flowers.

I don't see how bees would help with that. Pollinization happens AFTER the
plant has produced flowers. Many repeat blooming plants that fail to
pollinate will produce more flowers as a natural reaction to increase its
chances to reproduce. If a plant successfully pollinates, it will devote
more of its energy to the rest of the reproduction cycle and less to
producing more blooms. This is part of the reason why it's a common
practice to deadhead old blooms. When you deadhead old blooms, you
frustrate the plant's attempt to reproduce and invoke a natural reaction to
produce more blooms.

So actually the reverse is true in the instance of most repeat bloomers. If
the plant doesn't pollinate, it will be more likely to produce more blooms.

Usually when people are concerned about mason bees, they are trying to get
fruits trees to produce so I assumed that's what you were after. Personally
I just like to see them around for no other reasons than they are fun to
watch, docile, and they drive my wife crazy. We used to raise honey bees
when I was a kid.


How would you know find out about pollination problems, low fruit
yields?

You might be able to find out from the coop extension office for your
county.