Still no flies or bees

[gnappi]

Even though my yard is exploding in mango blooms, I haven't seen ANY. In past years, I could find my dog's poop within minutes with the swarm of flies covering it but today? none. I can now  leave my sliding patio door open when I go out for a minute and in the past I could not!  My GF is over 25 miles north of me and she has the same situation.

Are the cities spraying excessively for mosquito control? If not what's going on?

[Rispa]

I wondered about that last year in Houston. My guess is a new pesticide. My mom had the same issue across town from me. The year prior her yard was literally humming with all the bees. They did eventually come in the fall, but in the spring I had a huge issue. Blue basil helps. They really like it and having several plants helps attract them more fan anything else in my experience.

[Honest Abe]

With all the transplants and new homes being built I believe it to be attributed to companies like “trugreen” that spray entire lawns soil beds for and kill larvae AND eliminate wild flowering weeds at the same time causing huge population die outs/insect genocide. All for green grass. Personally I have never treated my lawn with anything and my neighbors in the community mostly share the same views and I suspect that’s why i have lots of bees, blue flies and black flies pollinating my flowers. Also as new homes are built since Covid especially, and giant old fruit trees are removed, many of the honey bee and fly habitats are destroyed.

My opinion.

[CarloGolfer]

I'm in Southwest Florida and my yard just exploded with bees and flies. It was pretty quiet until like 2 days ago. Suddenly each tree is swarmed. I was worried for a bit.

So hopefully for you it will be the same.

[JR561]

Here in west Boynton no shortage of flies and bees.

[bovine421]

If you want to attract flies fish emulsion works well. If you want to produce flies. Fish heads or chicken livers work well for me.



In 24 to 36 hours eggs are laid larvae hatch within several days we will be producing flies that can live from 15 to 30 days. You place your bucket above head level you will not smell the stench as much and if company comes over you can put a lid on it. Lol
Now that Daytime temperatures have risen plenty of pollinators bumble bees wasp sugar bee honey bee Plus flies

[palmcity]

Other sources for raising flys if no fish material etc. available: Thin the herd of rabbits and squirrels with flying projectiles. Leave the carcass where they drop if in nice warm sunshine to speed decomposition and fly larvae growth.

Recycle those varmints...

[Squam256]

We’re seeing plenty of pollinators in West Palm

[achetadomestica]

Even though my yard is exploding in mango blooms, I haven't seen ANY. In past years, I could find my dog's poop within minutes with the swarm of flies covering it but today? none. I can now  leave my sliding patio door open when I go out for a minute and in the past I could not!  My GF is over 25 miles north of me and she has the same situation.

Are the cities spraying excessively for mosquito control? If not what's going on?

Are the panicles setting fruit? At first I didn't see any pollinators but my pickering's
panicles were full of small fruit. Now I hear and see the different pollinators

[EddieF]

Honey bees were all over Kent.  Odd, flies too.
I smelled them & some smell nice, thought they would stink.  ?

[Orkine]

There was a fair amount of wind for several days. Pollen was everywhere and on everything.

[Calusa]

I haven't noticed any flies or bees around my mangos but there are some tiny wasps checking out the blooms on the Maha.

[Orkine]

Invest in the fish if you can or whatever brings you some flies.
Some of my huge blooms when there were no flies have very low fruit set.  The ones in bloom when the flies came had good fruit set.  I am waiting on the later blooms which had few or no flies but lots of wind to see what the fruit set was like.
My conclusion at this time, bring on the flies!

[roblack]

Have seen a few flies and bees on tree blooms, but not much traffic. However, Glenn is covered in tiny fruitlets now. Somebody is doing the job. 

[gnappi]

Even though my yard is exploding in mango blooms, I haven't seen ANY. In past years, I could find my dog's poop within minutes with the swarm of flies covering it but today? none. I can now  leave my sliding patio door open when I go out for a minute and in the past I could not!  My GF is over 25 miles north of me and she has the same situation.

Are the cities spraying excessively for mosquito control? If not what's going on?

Are the panicles setting fruit? At first I didn't see any pollinators but my pickering's
panicles were full of small fruit. Now I hear and see the different pollinators

Yes, I'm getting fruit set but it's low by comparison from years gone by. I'm thinking windy days have helped a lot

[roblack]

Maybe help the wind out a bit with trusty leaf blower =)

I've been drying my lower Glenn and SL branches when the sprinkler hits them. Maybe that's helped fruit set? Glenn is covered in tiny fruitlets. Gotta check SL...

[Epicatt2]

Here in Tampa (9b) I have no lawn in my yard but my Queen's Wreath (Petrea volubilis) is in full bloom on a large pergola feature in the front yard and its flowers are being worked by butterflies, wasps, beetles, and bees (both honeybees and bumblebees).

Of my five dwarf  mango trees only 'Ice Cream' has so far produced several panicles of buds but I don't see any bees, etc. working them yet.  Once those buds open there are certainly enough incects working the nearby Petrea that they will find the mango flowers.

OK — HTH

Paul M.
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