Several people have asked me this question - well the La Nina Weather did it. Yes you can blame it on the weather.
First - The Mason Bees which normally hatch in early March waited until April 1 due to the colder than average spring - no joke.
Second - after an active couple of weeks in April a nasty cold front moved in and wiped out most of the early hatchers.
Third - a lot of plants which normally bloom early were delayed by cooler weather reducing the feed stock for the Mason Bees.
Lastly - Mason Bees which are normally active into June were finished by mid May. Our production at Royston House BB is down about 2/3 from last year. Fortunately we had been building a base for the past several years so we still have enough to grow from in the future when springs begin to warm up.
Good News - Bumble Bees have dramitically expanded to take up the slack. We have seen several new types that were not here before and they did a great job of polinating our fruit. Nature has it's way - thank you!
Ross @ www.roystonhouse.ca
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