Pears

[gullivar33]

Please i would like some help, my Gourmande pear tree had loads of blossom on it and they turned to little pears at the base now we had some very strong winds lately when i went and looked hundreds of little pears lay on the ground , is there anything available which we can spray on the tree to stop them falling off ? or is it because the bees did not get in to set them ?

[fishpond]

Sounds like it didn't get pollinated, really needs a pollinating partner.

[FB.]

Poor pollination. If the fruit was pollinated it stays on the tree, unless there are too many for the tree to carry, in which case it drops what it can't cope with - usually the 'June drop'

I have several pears and despite thousands of flowers, there are almost no fruitlets forming. I guess all the sprays people use have killed so many bees that there aren't enough to do the pollinating any more.

[fishpond]

Poor pollination. If the fruit was pollinated it stays on the tree, unless there are too many for the tree to carry, in which case it drops what it can't cope with - usually the 'June drop'

I have several pears and despite thousands of flowers, there are almost no fruitlets forming. I guess all the sprays people use have killed so many bees that there aren't enough to do the pollinating any more.

Do you have the same problem with your apples?

[Nicos]

^^^^ have to say we've not had the usual buzzing coming from our massive wild cherry tree this year.
Bit of a worry.

I wonder if the weather hasn't been ideal for the bees either????

[Jungle Jane]

I had loads of pears forming on my new tree,thinned it to one every 6inches,like I read,but then I read that pears naturally shed some pears,I kept the biggest,healthiest looking ones tho. When I was thinning it,some were just coming away easily,so I wouldn't worry. If it produces too many pears,next years flowering will be affected.

[Nicos]

OOps- meant to say that I've spent ages trying to find Gourmande pear variety and what it can be pollinated with and the name just doesn't come up!

apart from this....

Pear Tree Gourmande|D. T. Brown Fruit Trees

I can't see it mentioned as a variety anywhere.

If you got it from them,it might be worth emailing them for more information?

[Jungle Jane]

I don't know if anyone else has noticed this or if it rings a bell with anyone : Every year I have bees & young bees & they follow a pattern of pollination. I had a bee here in february it was cold still & it's young here in March/April,then I had a wasp here daily,I've never noticed this wasp in past years,did the wasp kill the bees? I know this can happen,usually I have about 10 bees on my ceanothus,daily,I've had none & I'm worried what's happened to them? The weathers been sunny here. Do we have a problem with our wasps?

[Nicos]

Gullivar- I noticed you'd mentioned this problem last year in a previous thread...I'd try and find a pollinating companion before worrying about bees etc

[FB.]

Do you have the same problem with your apples?

No problems with the apples; pollination looks normal/average, with fruitlets swelling on most of my apple trees despite the mild frosts a couple of weeks ago.
The late bloomers are only just opening their first flowers - still a few days away from full flower.