[jim3]

Hi.  I have an impressive show of flowers on my 2' high broad bean plants, but lower flowers now blackening and hardly any pods forming.  Minimal blackfly recently, dealt with, and no sign of any other pest or disease.  Haven't yet topped the plants.  Help, please - what's wrong?

[DavidT]

Good evening Jim and welcome to the site. Have you been watering them?

[andy135]

It's happening to a lot of us. Seems to be a lack of polinating insects,

[Livinhope]

It's happening to a lot of us. Seems to be a lack of polinating insects,

Do you remember a few years back you could stand by a row of beans and listen to the hum.   Do the same thing now and you're lucky to see a single bee and there seem to be fewer other types of pollinating insects.  And where are the hover flies this year?

[andy135]

It's happening to a lot of us. Seems to be a lack of polinating insects,

Do you remember a few years back you could stand by a row of beans and listen to the hum.   Do the same thing now and you're lucky to see a single bee and there seem to be fewer other types of pollinating insects.  And where are the hover flies this year?

I think that the long cold winter has reduced their numbers although they do seem to be in decline throughout the country. I saw an advert recently that was crying out for people to train in beekeeping.

[Livinhope]

I saw that programme, wasn't it Countryfile?  It's a lovely idea but I'm a bit past it to start.  Thinking about it now I have seen very few bees at all this year, I know a lot of it is due to this disease that's affecting our honey bees, I've seen mostly bumbles but they are supposed to be in decline as well.  I don't think want to dwell on this to much the prospect of no bees is quite frightening.

[jim3]

Thanks, everyone, for replies - I've been watering the broad beans regularly and they've been growing steadily, with lots of flowers.  I've certainly noticed the lack of bees, and yes, there seem to be more bumbles around than honey bees - the occasional hum I hear now is that of a single bees, not a chorus, and even they prefer to go to the lavendar

Seems the problem is, as you say, a lack of pollinating insects.  Oh well, better luck next time!   Thanks again for help, folks.

[SG6]

Besides watering them did you spray them?
Recall reading that they need spraying with water (moist atmosphere) for the fruit to set.

[Livinhope]

I have misted mine and unfortunately it doesn't seem to have had any effect.  In the past I think we have probably all taken the bees for granted, 'you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone'.  Why is it that the little beans start to form and drop off when they are about 3/4 of an inch long, would they start to form at all if the flower hadn't been pollinated?

[chris23005]

Virtually no bees here either, but interestingly since disturbing ants in the raised bed, they have been crawling over everything, including the insides of the flowers (especially the courgette flowers) and suddenly I am getting produce! Could the ants be doing the work of pollinating?

[Livinhope]

If you think about it, ants like sweet things so it follows that they would be attracted to sweet smelling flowers, maybe they are doing the job but not so efficiently.