Topic: Will the beans get pollinated, if the weather is bad for bees?

[hellohelenhere]

I used a strong solution of Ecover washing up liquid. :)

[hellohelenhere]

... sprayed directly onto the aphids, that is. With small greenfly, on roses, I usually come back a bit later and spray it off with water. In this case, they're such fat blackfly and in big masses, so I left the soap on, to make sure they're killed.

[hellohelenhere]

*I can assert that the solution I used was too strong, by the way - it certainly did kill a lot of blackfly, but it also caused some quite bad leaf burn. I'm sticking to a much milder solution from now on. :)

[lancelotment]

Had a walk round the site yesterday and to a man, everybody is having problems with a lack of broad beans setting.  Plants look really healthy, lots of flowers but just not enough insect activity at all.  There are probably just enough beans if we all chip in together to have enough for one boiling.  It's not looking good at the moment, even in this hot weather.  Lance

[Digeroo]

If you are having problems with black fly try and remember to put the packet of seeds in the freezer for a few weeks before you sow them next year. 

Heard it on a gardening radio programme years ago.  Don't know why but it does seem to work.  Not a 100% cure but I have no balck fly at the moment.

Sorry but not much help now.

[1066]

If you are having problems with black fly try and remember to put the packet of seeds in the freezer for a few weeks before you sow them next year. 

Heard it on a gardening radio programme years ago.  Don't know why but it does seem to work.  Not a 100% cure but I have no balck fly at the moment.

Sorry but not much help now.

Amazing, never heard that one before!
So far mine seem ok, I interplanted with summer savory as I heard that was a good companion plant for the broadies

1066

[luckydog]

Had a walk round the site yesterday and to a man, everybody is having problems with a lack of broad beans setting.  Plants look really healthy, lots of flowers but just not enough insect activity at all.  There are probably just enough beans if we all chip in together to have enough for one boiling.  It's not looking good at the moment, even in this hot weather.  Lance

First time growing broad beans this year.  Have plenty of bees on my plants, but flowers dropping & hardly any beans setting. ::)   Some of the plants are now almost 2 feet tall and not one single flower on the stem.    Might have enough beans to fill an eggcup from my little patch.   :'(

[hellohelenhere]

If the bees you're getting are white-tailed bumblebees, then you know why they're not setting! (if you didn't see my earlier post - they drill through the flower to get the nectar without going past the pollen at all).
I guess the answer would be to interplant with flowers that will attract all sorts of bees and other pollinators (some flies, for example). I interplanted mine with rocket, which was so keen to immediately bolt, that I just let it - now its flowers seem very popular with the bees.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Don't panic if you don't see beans at first. They take a while, and develop even if the flower hasn't been pollinated. In this case, the pod will be empty.