# Need advice on trees for bees.



## Retroviral (Jun 23, 2015)

Hello all, I am a new member. I have no experience with bees whatsoever, so I apologize for using your site to ask this question, but I figured you folks would be the perfect sounding board for this. I am terminally ill, and have recently been given a 6 month to 1 year prognosis. So it has become imperative for me to make my final plans. I have chosen to go the path of the Bios Urn, which will combine my cremains with a tree seed within a biodegradable urn. The Bios Urn company gives purchasers the option of choosing their own seed to include, and I want to find a flowering tree that will benefit the local bee population. I have seen many Mimosa trees in the area being frequented by honeybees, but I was curious to get the experts' views. What would be the ideal tree for me to become? This is my attempt at making amends to this beautiful planet before I actually become PART of it. Any advice is welcomed.

Thank you.

-Steve


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## Jim Brewster (Dec 17, 2014)

I would vote for tuliptree/tulip poplar _(Liriodendron tulipifera)_. Not only is it a good nectar and honey plant, it is one of the most majestic trees in North America. It can grow to 200' and live for 300 years under good conditions.

Best regards,
Jim


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## EvanS (Feb 27, 2015)

I was looking into this after your post and it seems that bios urn only offers 6 types of trees. I didn't see where they offered other choices, but I may have just missed it. There are a few other companies with similar products that have more options. Eternitrees.com has a good selection and also the option to use your own seeds/seedling. I would also go along with Jim's suggestion of Tulip tree, but I don't know if they grow where you are. They are one of my favorite trees because they are great for bees in the springtime and are the tallest growing east coast tree as far as I know.


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## Terry C (Sep 6, 2013)

EvanS said:


> I was looking into this after your post and it seems that bios urn only offers 6 types of trees. I didn't see where they offered other choices, but I may have just missed it. There are a few other companies with similar products that have more options. Eternitrees.com has a good selection and also the option to use your own seeds/seedling. I would also go along with Jim's suggestion of Tulip tree, but I don't know if they grow where you are. They are one of my favorite trees because they are great for bees in the springtime and are the tallest growing east coast tree as far as I know.


 Kansas is a little far west , their range pretty much extends only as far west as the Mississippi river .


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## Retroviral (Jun 23, 2015)

In my area most trees that flourish are non blooming. Oak, maple, catalpa... The few that do bloom are mimosa, Bradford pear, cherry. Honestly i had never even heard of a tulip tree.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

Catalpa don't bloom ? Most beautiful tree I ever saw was a catalpa and the bees were all over it


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## jdmidwest (Jul 9, 2012)

Its really better to have a nice forage field of many acres that flowers all thru the season than to have trees that bloom for a short period.

That being said, maples are important, they are usually the first thing in the spring that provides nectar and pollen for bees. Followed by fruit trees. Mimosa is great, it flowers late in the season when the normal summer dearth hits. Crepe Myrtle flowers late too?


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## BeeBop (Apr 23, 2015)

Our Catalpa just finished blooming here in California. They're beautiful trees but I only notice a few bees on them. Maybe something else is blooming at the same time that they like better.


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## Retroviral (Jun 23, 2015)

Well, perhaps I misspoke. I had never *noticed* a catalpa with blooms. I had only seen the weird little pencil pods that make lawnmowing really suck. LOL... I consulted the Arbor Day Foundation's website, and they have a list of trees (broken down into spring/summer/fall bloomers) that attract honeybees. 

http://blog.arborday.org/trees-that-attract-honeybees/

I am leaning towards Redbud now. The sheer quantity of blooms looks like they would be a viable candidate for Bee Shangri La.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

I would go for the Bee Bee tree from Korea. They are very fast growing and can be
started from the seeds. The flowers bloom in the summer time providing nectar when others do not around here.
Their seeds benefit the birds when available. They grow to 6" in the first year and 4' on going in the 2nd year. 
And hardy that can stand -32F after established so it will live a long time. One flower cluster can have up to 20+ bees on it. 
One beekeeper said he can hear the buzz when walking by. Can you hear the buzz too?


Beautiful 2nd year BB-tree:


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