An industrial property manager in Longueuil, on the South Shore, called on our services after employees at a distribution warehouse reported unusual wasp activity near loading docks. The warehouse, a large building with a metal structure, had many cavities in its framework that were attractive places for wasps during the nesting season. Chambly, Longueuil’s neighboring city, was also affected by a strong presence of wasps that summer. The situation was all the more urgent as the loading docks remained open for a large part of the day, facilitating the entry of insects inside the building. Our team specialized in industrial environments responded to the request with an intervention plan adapted to the complexity of the site.
Structural inspection and nest mapping
The inspection of this large building required the use of a boom lift to access the high areas under the roof and the chords of the steel structure. A total of five active nests were identified: two in the hollows of the steel beams above the loading docks, one in the cavity between the sheet metal panel of the exterior wall and the insulation on the southeast side, one under the cowling of a disused mechanical ventilation system, and one hidden behind a group of plumbing pipes in an inaccessible corner of the building. The species identified were the German wasp for high nests and the common wasp for nests close to the ground. This cohabitation of two species in the same building is unusual and testifies to the richness of the ecological niches offered by the industrial structure.
Processing in an industrial environment with safety constraints
The industrial response required close coordination with the warehouse security manager to comply with lockout and working at height procedures. The nests in the metal beams were treated by injecting pressurized insecticide powder from the basket, without the need to dismantle the structural elements. The nest in the sheet metal wall was reached through an opening in a removable technical access panel. The nest in the ventilation enclosure was treated after the hood was dismantled by the maintenance team, who then replaced the defective seals. For the nests in the plumbing zone, the technician used a long-range diffuser that allowed him to reach the deep cavities without having to move the installations. The entire wasp extermination treatment was documented with before and after photographs for the site closure report.
Sealing and recommendations for preventive management
Following the treatment, an inspection of potential entry points throughout the structure was conducted. The openings identified in the beams and caissons were sealed with caulking of the entry points adapted to metal structures, including high-temperature silicone gaskets resistant to industrial conditions. The disused ventilation enclosure was permanently closed, and the accessible plumbing pipes were surrounded by preventive sleeves. The manager received a complete report with photographs and recommendations for the annual inspections of the structure, including the systematic verification of all joints and fittings during roof maintenance. An exterior insect treatment on the periphery of the building completed the intervention to discourage the installation of new colonies outside the walls. To learn more about our mandates in a non-residential environment, consult our realization on a wasp nest in a building structure and our realization on a hornet treatment in a commercial building. Nova Extermination intervenes in all types of industrial buildings on the South Shore, with protocols adapted to each context and in compliance with occupational health and safety standards. The particularity of distribution warehouses lies in the constant comings and goings at the loading docks: wasps take advantage of these repeated openings to enter the building, sometimes without even nesting on site. The installation of strip curtains at the docks and the implementation of a weekly check of the overhead framing areas were recommended as complementary measures for the coming seasons.