I'm really hoping someone can help me indentify this tree in my landscaping. It attracts thousands of bees of different types and I need to identify it so I am able to figure out how to stop the bees from landing on it. It's about 5 or 6 feet tall with the branches growing out the top center that curve downward with pretty white flowers. The trunk is not very big around and some of the white flowers are wrapped around it. With 2 of these trees in our yard and our 3 year-old son, we just cannot have all these stinging insects on our property. These are very beautiful trees, but if I have to, I will take them out completly. Please help!
if a 5 to 6 foot 'tree' attracts thousands of bees and you dont want them in the yard, remove the trees. replant with something that is less attractive to the bees (likely non or insignificant flowers).
Bees very rarely sting people. The flowers will also only be there for a week or two at the most, then nothing for the rest of the year. I wouldn't worry about it.
Bees are such beneficial insects that I wouldn't want to discourage them either, if they are indeed bees and not wasps etc. I agree with Michael that this is a short-term problem and can probably be worked around. Your child will have to learn to recognize and respect stinging insects at some point; you cannot protect him from all of them forever so he is much better off learning to co-exist. Not that you should be forced to keep plants you don't want, but cutting them down won't guarantee you a stinging-insect free yard anyhow. They travel, and if your yard is insect-free it probably represents virgin unclaimed territory to other stinging insects looking for nesting sites. You can probably prune the plants or let them grow so that most of the flowers are up high. On a recent thread the topic of bee survival has been discussed: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=23710
You are lucky to have bees. Our drought seems to have made ours disappear. Bees do not normaly sting by just being there. Keep away from the tree while it is in flower and enjoy a thing of beauty. Otherwise as suggested get rid of it. Liz
Oh, and to answer your question more directly, I don't know what type of shrubs they might be - Spirea if blooming right now, maybe, though you don't say it is blooming now - and it might help if you post a picture or a better description of leaves and flowers. Furthermore, there is no way to stop bees from wanting to land on it unless you simply chop off the flowers as they open. I'd actually like to know what it is, as I would enjoy having such a plant!
Thanks to everyone who replied. I'll just wait it out and see if the bee problem gets better. If it's only going to be for a couple weeks, I can deal with it. I would still like to know what kind of trees they are. They are very beautiful and they are trees, not shrubs. The branches grow out of the top of the trunk and curve out and down. Maybe some sort of weeping tree? Any ideas??
Possibly a weeping cherry? Does it look like this?: http://ciderpresshill.com/images/uploads/weeping_cherry.jpg
Yup, that's it! It probably wan't hard for you to figure it out but I don't know much about trees and flowers. These are very pretty trees, I just wish that bees didn't like them so much. Thanks!
