According to a fairly reputable gardening website,
"Citronella and lemon grass are both closely related species belong to the genus Cymbopogon and are members of the Poaceae, family of the grasses. The scientific names of the lemon grass which is used in cooking is C. citratus while the citronella that has uses as an insect repellent and fragrance industry is C. nardus." The "two plants look very identical [but] the smell emitted after crushing the leaves is vastly different."
While some citronella oil is incorrectly marketed as lemongrass (and vice versa), they are two different products and will have vastly different effects on the bees. The key to telling them apart, at least in plant form, is that "citronella has red pseudostems while those of the lemon grass are green."
Mike Rossander
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