In the heart of a residential area of Otterburn Park, on the South Shore, a family contacted Nova Extermination after discovering a large colony of honey bees installed in the shutter box of their single-family residence. The nest, hidden behind the vinyl shingles, was home to several thousand individuals and posed a real risk to the young children who frequented the backyard. With the help of our certified technicians, a quick and environmentally friendly intervention made it possible to solve the situation in a sustainable way.
Inspection and identification of the colony
As soon as we arrived on site, our specialists carried out a thorough inspection of the exterior envelope of the house. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) were identifiable by their regular back and forth behaviour towards a crack under the flap box. Using an endoscope, we assessed the extent of the nest: the wax combs extended over a length of about sixty centimetres inside the wall cavity. The presence of active brood indicated a well-established colony for at least one full season. The owner initially thought they were wasps, but inspection confirmed that they were honey bees, which led to a relocation rather than elimination.
Relocation strategy and nest removal
In accordance with best practices for bee extermination and responsible bee management, our technicians first attempted to transfer the colony alive. At the end of the day, when the majority of the foragers had returned to the nest, our team extracted the queen and the brood frames using suitable beekeeping tools. The bees were deposited in a transport hive and then handed over to a local beekeeper located near Varennes, who agreed to integrate the colony into his apiary. When total relocation is not possible, especially if the bees are inaccessible or aggressive, we apply an approved insecticide treatment by direct injection into the cavity, followed by suction of the dead insects.
In this case, the physical removal of the nest was essential. Leaving the wax combs in place would have attracted new colonies in the following weeks and caused moisture damage to the insulation and siding. Our technicians opened the box, extracted all the combs and cleaned the cavity before treating it with an approved repellent product.
Sealing and preventive work
Once the cavity was cleaned, our experts caulked the entry points to prevent any reinfestation. The crack under the shutter box was sealed with weatherproof exterior sealant, and all other openings of less than one centimeter were sealed with stainless steel grate netting. This step is crucial in vinyl-sided homes, as the gaps between the panels provide ideal pathways for colonizing insects. We also inspected the soffits and edge boxes, areas that are often overlooked but highly prized by bees looking for nesting sites. Check out our other bee management achievements for similar examples of preventive sealing.
Follow-up and recommendations for the following season
A telephone follow-up was carried out thirty days after the intervention to ensure that no residual activity was visible. The homeowner received a list of written recommendations: inspect the exterior of the house every spring starting in April, quickly seal any new cracks in the siding, and avoid leaving mass honey flowers attached directly to the walls of the house. Cottage-style homes built in the 1980s and 1990s, which are common in Otterburn Park and Varennes, often feature wooden or aluminum shutter boxes that warp over time and leave spaces for nesting. An annual inspection of these areas is therefore strongly recommended. The owner was also informed of the warning signs of a new installation: traces of yellowish wax on the siding, a dull buzzing sound inside a wall, or intense flying activity at a single point on the façade in the spring. If you live in Otterburn Park or in neighboring municipalities such as Varennes or Contrecoeur, our extermination team in Otterburn Park is available quickly for any bee colony problem. We intervene in both emergency and preventive measures, with methods adapted to each situation and each type of residential or commercial property on the South Shore of Quebec.