Earning its keep

We have never had so much blossom on our little apple tree.

But for what seemed like ages, no sight of any pollinators.

Then last Friday it warmed up and the sun shone. And the bees arrived.

The blossom is fading and falling, but the bees are still here. They are mostly tree bumblebees, I guess from the colony active under the eaves above our front door. So it seems we have a mutual arrangement. We provide them with a home, and they (hopefully) pollinate the apple tree so we have some fruit.

Tree bumblebees are recent immigrants. They were first noticed in Wiltshire in 2001, probably as a result of being blown across the Channel. Since then they have spread right across Britain ( but not the island of Ireland). They are small, and not easy to photograph as they move fast, so I was pleased to get a few shots in some sort of focus (another in extras).