What plants are poison to bee's ?

[billycasper]

Whats the difference between mountain laurel and any other. I've just put up a hive sheltered by a laurel hedge. Have I killed all of the bees?

 

[edjex]

Whats the difference between mountain laurel and any other. I've just put up a hive sheltered by a laurel hedge. Have I killed all of the bees?

The problem with the name 'laurel' is that there are actually several completely unrelated plants which share the name. The mountain laurel referred to earlier is probably kalmia latifolia, which is poisonous I believe, though there is more than one plant referred to as mountain laurel. You've probably planted prunus laurocerasus, also known as cherry laurel. It makes a nice hedge as long as it's kept in check. My understanding is that it's not poisonous to bees, though I'm not at all an expert on the subject. Farnham Beekeepers list it as a forage source for April: http://www.farnhambeekeepers.org.uk/index.php/bee/forage/

Another laurel is laurus nobilis, which is the bay tree whose leaves add a certain something to cooking, though I've never been able to work out quite what

 

[Erichalfbee]

Cherry laurel is common in the UK.
It's flowers are a nectar source as are the extra floral nectaries on the leaves.
Hence it is useful even when not in flower.