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I have a shrub which but I'm not sure what it is that around this time of year that attracts bees but also attracts a large number of what appears to be common or bluebottle flies. Can anything be done to stop the flies?

Obviously I don't want to harm the bees but the bush is right near my front door so I end up with a flies coming inside so may have to look at cutting it down if nothing can be done.

Location: UK

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mizumi
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1 Answers1

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It's a Euonymus, not sure which variety, there are several with variegated leaves and I can't see the overall size and growth habit from the photo. What's attracting the flies are the flowers; once they fade, the flies will disappear. The flowers will fade within the next week or so but, in the meantime, if the shrub is large enough, you can either trim it back with shears which should remove most of the flowers, but if it's quite small, you will need to cut out each flower separately. Many varieties of this shrub get quite large and are often used for hedging, or clipped back a couple of times a year - this usually means no or few flowers are produced.

Bamboo
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  • Thank you for your response. I have added a picture of the whole shrub. Guessing removing the flowers is best? – mizumi Jun 14 '20 at 19:28
  • It's just about big enough to take a clipping all over if you want, but by the looks of the fallen material on the ground, the flowers will be passing shortly anyway. Clipping over now will also allow for reshaping or reducing if its got out of bounds near the door. – Bamboo Jun 14 '20 at 20:09