So little fruit.

Fruit eaten by birds

While walking through the orchard this week I collected some plums and apples. I have stated previously that this years fruit harvest is smaller than previous years and it seems its going to be very much smaller. I collected  some plums, and noted the I still have some apples and a couple of pears on the trees way fewer plums that previous years and a disappointing year also for apples.

Honey Bee examining an eaten apple

However lots of the apples that I do have, have been pecked and and damaged by birds some have also been completed eaten. The pictures show this well.

I have also included pictures of some of the pears. The pears are still relatively small and some I have seen are a slightly deformed. Some of them do look lovely and I'm looking forward to being able to pick them.

Apple pecked by birds

In previous years I have had little success with pears however this year they are doing better. I still have a small harvest of pears but it will be better than in previous years. Again like most people I put it down to the weather.

Pears still growing

Different variety of pears

I am planning on extracting honey this week which also means that I will start applying the fondant that I have bought and I still have to order in the varroa treatment. I am borrowing an extractor from a fellow bee keeper. I can't be sure how much honey I will get this year but after meeting some other bee keepers this week I have heard that it is a poor harvest in my area, in the Midlands.I also didn't extract earlier in the year so some of the honey may have crystallised in the comb, we shall see and I'll let you know.