The honeybees are now including the garden in their daily routine. We went from none to a couple dozen workers buzzing around the flowers. No longer do I need to worry about zucchini blossoms getting pollinated. I am back to the usual problem with zucchini — what to do with so many of them. The other squash and pumpkins have also started showing fruit as a result of the bees’ efforts. We should have several nice pumpkins for Halloween decorations and Thanksgiving pies.
If I ever had any doubt about the bees acting as pollination agents, it would have been removed by a bee I saw a couple weeks ago near the just opening sunflowers. I had heard a buzzing and when I first caught a glimpse, I saw yellow and thought it might be a pesky yellow jacket. But then it landed on a sunflower and I discovered what the yellow color was — lots of pollen on the back of the honeybee.