Comments on: Does Anyone Know A Recommended Spray That Could Make My Apple Tree Not Produce Apples?

By: Venus V

Venus V — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:33:53 +0000

no sorry, maybe you should just cut it down. would you rather be stung to death or have a no apple tree

By: Donna from Texas

Donna from Texas — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:12:03 +0000

Cut the tree down rather than kill the bees. For some reason, bees are disappearing at an alarming rate. No bees, no food.

By: Traci

Traci — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:29:46 +0000

yes there is a growth regulator called Florel that you can spray when the flowers break in the spring. This interrupts the reproductive ability of the tree and should keep it from bearing much if any fruit. good luck!

By: flattrac

flattrac — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:21:21 +0000

Nicci,
Yellow Jackets are the big problem, not the little bees.
Feel free to cut the tree down. Trim into 12 to 24 inch pieces and after wood dries out in about 12 months, use it in your BBQ grill.
Now go drink a beer and relax.

By: woody612

woody612 — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:53:59 +0000

When the flowers begin to bud, spray the tree with a pesticide of some sort. It should keep bees away, and possibly kill the buds before they become flowers.
I am by no means an expert, just makes sense to me. Ask your local botanist.

By: tasteybu

tasteybu — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:00:42 +0000

You could maybe try buying one of those foolers bees nests that you can hang anywhere, so the bees get confused and think that bees already have built and live there and they will look for a new place to go instead. You can pick them up at Canadian tire, and Walmart. They look just like a bee’s nest. Hopefully this will help without damaging you fruit tree. Fruit trees are nice to have around, especially with the way the economy is going. I hope this helps. Good luck.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:40:26 +0000

Traci is correct about Florel keeping the flowers from being pollinated. It needs to be sprayed 2-3 times, at intervals, when the tree is in flower, to prevent pollination. If the tree is large, it may not be practical unless you have equipment to be able to spray the whole tree.
But I just want to make one point – Since you associate the FRUIT with “bees”, I want to correct you on what those critters are. The shiny yellow-and-black striped aggressive things that swarm around the fallen and fermenting fruits are Yellow Jackets – a kind of wasp. They are NOT bees.
Bees get a bad rap, and I’m just trying to clear their name. And for the record – I’m allergic to yellow jackets too. They are nasty buggers – especially at the end of the season.
If the spray program doesn’t work for you – maybe hire a teenager to come twice a week and pick up and get rid of all the apples that have fallen from the tree. it’s usually when they’re on the ground that the wasps become a problem. If you have the apples cleaned up every few days, it should help markedly.