I ran yet another half-day olive oil tour a few days ago. For olive trees this is a crucial time of the year as flowering is taking place which of course brings on poliination and the resulting formation of olives. This process has started between two and three weeks earlier than normal in areas close to Seville due to higher than normal temperatures in the early to middle part of April.
The flower that the olive tree produces is very small and very little pollination is carried out by bees; it mostly happens by the action of the wind. The last few weeks have been pretty windy so this has really helped. In the photo below you can see the very small olives that are starting to form. Normally, just a small percentage of flowers become olives.
