Pollinating blueberries is the task in mind. But the bees need nectar and pollen when the blueberries aren’t in bloom. The Mason bee ends it’s life cycle in late spring at about the same time as the blueberries have finished their bloom. By that time there is lots of other food sources. When the Mason bee emerges in late March or early April there needs to be something to keep them going till the blueberry blossoms are open.
Here on the farm we are relying on plum trees and rhododendrons to keep the Mason bees going until the blueberries are ready. The opening of the first buds coincides with the emergance of the first Mason bees. Of course the Mason bees can be delayed by keeping them in a cooler location.
Cherry Plum PJM Rhododendron
Plums and rhododendrons will keep the Mason bees going until the target pollination of Bluecrop blueberry is ready. Meanwhile, an early blueberry, June, is “in the pink” but the blossoms are a couple of weeks away.
June blueberry
