Last spring, a retail store specializing in natural food located in the heart of Saint-Ours, a small town in the Montérégie region on the Richelieu River, called on our services after noticing that a colony of bees had established itself under the sheet metal cladding of a façade awning. The visible presence of bees at the main entrance of the store deterred some of the customers and created a delicate situation for employees who worked near the point of entry to the nest. Our Nova Extermination technicians intervened outside of business hours to disrupt commercial activities as little as possible.
Evaluation of the nest under the commercial awning
Metal awnings are very attractive nesting cavities for honey bees: heat accumulated by the sheet metal, protection from the weather and partial darkness. When our technicians arrived, the flight activity on the front indicated a colony that had been active for several weeks. Endoscope inspection revealed a nest of moderate size already containing brood and honey reserves. Unlike emergencies involving Africanized bees or aggressive wasps, the honey bees at Saint-Ours exhibited calm behavior, making a relocation attempt realistic. Visit our page specializing in bee extermination to better understand the different species we manage in Quebec.
Relocation of the colony and beekeeping partnership
The relocation was carried out on a weekday evening after the business closed. Our technicians, equipped with full protective suits, partially dismantled the cladding of the awning to access the nest. The queen was captured first to calm the colony, and then the brood combs were transferred to a transport hive. The workers naturally followed the queen into the new hive. The operation took place in less than two hours. The colony was entrusted to a beekeeper in the region, between Saint-Denis and Sorel-Tracy, who integrated these bees into his local honey production. This approach, which is favoured when conditions allow, is part of our commitment to respectful management of pollinators.
For cases where relocation is not possible, such as when the colony is encased in concrete or is too aggressive, we have registered insecticide treatments suitable for commercial environments, with low-residue products approved for areas near food. Our previous achievements in bee extermination illustrate the diversity of the situations we have dealt with.
Cleaning, preventive work and resumption of activities
After the colony was removed, our technicians cleaned the entire cavity under the canopy: wax, residual honey and propolis were scraped off and the surface was treated with a disinfectant to eliminate attractive pheromones that could have attracted a new swarm in the following weeks. The awning was then reattached and all openings were sealed with UV-resistant outer silicone. An exterior insect treatment has been applied all around the commercial façade to discourage other colonizing insects such as wasps or bumblebees. The next morning, the business was able to open its doors normally, without any visible trace of the intervention.
Post-intervention follow-up and service to businesses
A return to the site was planned a fortnight later to ensure that no residual activity was observable on the façade. Our technicians confirmed the complete absence of flight activity and checked the integrity of the seals. No residual wax or trace of pheromones was detected during this control visit. Our extermination team in Saint-Ours accompanies retail businesses as well as restaurants, service centers and offices in the Montérégie. Saint-Ours, renowned for its dam and locks on the Richelieu, has particular architectural conditions such as exposed facades, sheet metal awnings and roofs with multiple joints that are likely to deteriorate. Our technicians know the specificities of these buildings and adapt their methods accordingly. We offer service contracts that include seasonal inspections, which are particularly useful for sun-exposed facades where bees and wasps return every year. For business managers in the Saint-Ours area and neighbouring municipalities, our preventive packages are an economical solution to avoid more costly emergency interventions. Trust our expertise to protect your business and reassure your customers throughout the active insect season in Quebec.