The avoidance or elimination of stinging insects thus involves more than just the elimination of attractive flowers. In fact, the majority of insect stings are not caused by bees but by yellowjackets. However, if bees are a concern, there are a number of different types of flowers that are not attractive to bees and if planted will help to reduce the number of bees in and around garden areas. The selection of flowers that do not attract bees is, in part, dependent upon an understanding of why bees visit flowers and what makes a flower attractive. Flowers that secrete large amounts of nectar or pollen are thus highly attractive, and those that do not produce much nectar or pollen are rarely visited.
Attraction is also dependent upon color and scent.
Brightly colored flowers usually attract bees, at least for an initial inspection visit. Blue, yellow, orange, purple, and white flowers are all inviting to foraging bees. Red flowers, in general, are less attractive to bees. With this in mind, the following list of flowers represents a group that should be non-attractive or only minimally attractive to the bees capable of inflicting a serious or painful sting. This group includes carnation, chrysanthemum, daisy, the red dianthus, geranium, marigold, rose, strawflower, and zinnia.