Help needed: lemon blossoms/pollinators

[feuer_flammenlos]

Hello all!
 Can someone suggest a solution for the pollination of my citrus blossoms? We're suffering from a dearth of bees (that's hardly news) AND the few I've seen ignore the citrus blossoms: so far, I've seen averages of 2/3 -bees on the thyme, 1-2 apparently in love with the roses (which are decorative, colourful and....nearly odourless) and the odd bumblebee on the melons. Blackberry and apple flowers are being (as far as I see) ignored.

Suggestion, please? é_è

Comments

[chalcopyrite]

They might be self-pollinating; I think some citrus plants are.

Otherwise, if they're a size that you can reach, you can pollinate by hand. Get yourself a small feather or a soft paintbrush, like the kind that comes with a kid's watercolour box. Starting at the top (or wherever; it's just for ease of keeping track of where you've been), sort of "fluff" each flower to transfer the pollen around.

If these are big trees, well... I have no idea, but you could at least reach the low branches?

Good luck!

[feuer_flammenlos]

Thank you! I hadn't thought of the possibility of self-pollination.

Just to be on the safe side, I could pollinate by hand - they're barely 8 ft high, it's doable.
I will post the results of first-time-hand-pollination once the flowers have fallen down (or gone to fruit :P ).

Thanks!