Last city before the county line
Florida City bee removal where farm rows meet block houses
Florida City sits where the houses thin out and the fields begin. Bees move freely between the two, and a colony that starts in a crop row can end up behind your siding.
Around Florida City
- IncorporatedDecember 29, 1914
- First nameDetroit, a land promotion settled by thirty families in 1910
- GroundMostly Miami Rock Ridge limestone, 5 to 8 feet above sea level
- Population13,085 at the 2020 census
- Road ends hereSouthern terminus of the Turnpike's Homestead Extension, at U.S. 1
Florida City is the southernmost municipality in Miami-Dade, and it still feels like the edge of something. The town began in 1910 as a land promotion called Detroit, took its current name when it incorporated in 1914, and grew up on winter vegetables. Tomatoes, squash and other truck crops were packed at the State Farmers' Market near Krome Avenue and Palm Drive, and that market still operates on North Krome today.
Put irrigated rows beside one-story buildings and you have given a honey bee colony nearly everything it wants. Squash flowers, field edges and roadside weeds feed strong colonies, and strong colonies split. When a swarm leaves a field-side hollow looking for a new home, the nearest dry cavity is often a soffit, a block wall void or a meter box set into the rock. Read more about the scouts that pick those spots, or see how we handle colonies on working farms and nurseries.
Where colonies settle on Florida City property
Meter and valve boxes in rock
The city sits mostly on a limestone ridge, so water meters, irrigation valves and backflow boxes are set into rock with thin soil over it. A lid with a gap becomes a dark, dry chamber, and a swarm that moves in can fill it with comb within weeks. See meter and valve box removals.
Packing sheds and barns
Farm buildings on the west side hold stacked bins, pallets, old equipment and wall cavities that nobody opens for months. Bees use the quiet. A colony in a shed can be cut out without moving the whole building, and outbuilding removals cover that work.
Concrete block walls
Hurricane Andrew demolished more than 120 Florida City homes and damaged 700 others in 1992, and repaired walls hide the same voids as original ones. Concrete block holds hollow cores that connect sideways, so bees entering at a pipe gap can build well away from it. Wall removals start by finding the comb.
Soffits and roof edges
On a long, low single-story roof, a loose soffit vent or a gap at the fascia opens straight into the attic edge. Bees seen streaming in and out under the eaves on a warm afternoon usually have comb just inside. Our soffit and eave page explains the cut-out.
Palms and windbreak trees
Hollow palm trunks, old boots where fronds were cut, and trees left standing along field lines all offer cavities. Some colonies in trees can be left alone if nobody walks near them; others sit over a driveway. Ask about tree and palm colonies.
Comb behind the barn wall?
Snap the entrance and the building around it, text that picture; the quote on your shed or house is free.
Notes from around Florida City
Krome Avenue corridor
Krome runs along the farm side of town, past the State Farmers' Market on North Krome and the Florida Pioneer Museum, a 1904 railroad agent's house half a mile south of Lucy Street. Where buildings sit close to open ground, a swarm leaving the fields has only a short way to travel.
Palm Drive and City Hall
City Hall sits at 404 West Palm Drive. On commercial buildings, storefront signs, rooftop units and parapet gaps are the cavities to check. A shop owner whose landlord wants paperwork can get an insurance certificate sent over first.
U.S. 1 at the Turnpike's end
The Turnpike's Homestead Extension ends at U.S. 1 inside the city limits. Bees in a sign cabinet, landscape bed or dumpster enclosure near a busy entrance are worth handling at the quietest hour the business can offer.
Northwest near Loren Roberts Park
Loren Roberts Park on NW 6th Avenue and the Youth Activity Center on NW 5th Avenue anchor the northwest side of the city, where the city runs its youth sports programs. Where children play nearby, a colony in a fence post or utility box is worth handling promptly rather than waiting to see if it moves on.
Along the old Long Slough
Long Slough, a slow-flowing channel out of the Everglades, once ran into the city, entering near Redland Road and Lucy Street. Canals built in the early 1900s lowered the water table across the area. Bees still pass over damp ground to settle in dry, sheltered spots, such as raised sheds and wall voids.
Davis Parkway
A live oak hammock once grew along Davis Parkway, reaching into what became the Florida City Camper Park. Wherever big shade trees stand over a house, bees have both branch cavities and shaded eaves to consider, so check trunks and rooflines together when you see traffic.
Why farm country sends swarms toward houses
A colony outgrows its cavity, starts rearing new queens and sends roughly half its bees out with the old one. That cluster bunches up on a branch, a fence or a tractor tire and waits there while its scouts go house hunting. In Florida City the search area includes fields, nurseries and the houses that back onto them, and a scout is choosing for size, dryness and a narrow entrance, not distance from people.
A hanging swarm that has not started comb is the simplest call to make, and swarm pickup is usually a short job. Once wax appears inside a wall or box, the colony is settling in and the job becomes a cut-out. Spraying it at that stage leaves dead bees and honey in the cavity, which draws ants and roaches and invites the next swarm to the same smell. Our note on repeat colonies in a sprayed wall traces that cycle. Cutting out every sheet of comb and taking it away with the colony leaves nothing in the wall to rot or lure a swarm.
Storm damage and rebuilt houses
Florida City suffered catastrophic damage from Hurricane Andrew in August 1992, and City Hall was among the buildings damaged beyond repair. Whatever a house went through then, its weak points today are usually ordinary ones: cracked stucco at a pipe, a gap where a soffit panel has sagged, a vent screen that has rusted through.
After any big storm, fallen trees and torn roof edges can expose colonies or open new entrances. When wind has peeled back siding and bees are suddenly in plain view, the notes on colonies a storm has uncovered are worth a look before anyone hauls debris. Thermal imaging lets us see where the warm mass of a hive sits behind block or drywall, so the opening is made in the right place the first time. The camera's heat picture is described in our thermal imaging article.
Renters, farms and who calls
If you rent your Florida City home, a colony in a wall raises the question of who arranges the work. The short answer is to report it right away and keep everyone clear of the entrance. Renting with bees walks through the tenant and landlord side. Farm operators, property managers and the businesses along U.S. 1 can get a certificate of insurance for their files, plus photos and an itemized invoice on request.
The crew that patches the block, re-hangs the soffit or fixes the roof tile is a licensed contractor, roofer or painter working for us, not a stranger you have to find, so the hole is closed by the same company that cut it. Should a colony try the same patched spot again, that return trip is on our warranty. Prices are explained on what removal costs.
How a visit runs in Florida City
Tell us the access
Let us know about locked farm gates, dogs, field roads that flood after rain, or a tenant who needs notice. On a business frontage, say when the lot is quietest.
Find the colony
We watch the flight line, then scan the wall, roof edge or box with a thermal camera to locate the comb before cutting anything.
Take the bees out alive
Comb is cut out, bees are vacuumed into a ventilated box, and the colony goes to a beekeeper. Honey and wax leave with us.
Seal and repair
The entrance is closed and our own crew handles block, stucco, soffit or roof repair, so the cavity is not left open for the next swarm.
Matching removal work
Questions people ask us
Can I just tape the meter lid shut while honey bees are living under it?
Closing the lid traps nothing; the bees use the gaps around it. A colony in a meter box keeps building comb against the lid and pipes. The box is opened, the comb and bees are lifted out alive, and the box is cleaned so the scent does not draw a new swarm. Keep children and pets off that spot until then.
There is a ball of bees on a mango tree at the end of our rows. Leave it?
Many clusters lift off by themselves once the scouts settle on a destination. Trouble starts when that destination turns out to be your pump house or the back of your home. If the cluster sits near workers or a path, call and have it collected while it is still out in the open, when the job is quick.
Do you work on farms and nurseries, or only homes?
Both. Packing sheds, pump houses, equipment and stacked bins are all fair game for bees, and we coordinate around crews and harvest work. Ask for a certificate of insurance if your operation needs one on file before anyone comes on the property.
A neighbor says poison is cheaper. What goes wrong with spraying them?
Poison kills the bees but leaves pounds of comb and honey inside. The honey can seep through block or drywall, the wax draws pests, and the smell attracts new swarms. Removing the comb with the bees is what lets the cavity be closed for good.
Will a Saturday or after-dark visit be priced differently?
It will. Emergency work after dark or on weekends carries a higher charge than a weekday slot. When a colony is tucked away and bothering nobody, booking Monday through Friday is the cheaper choice. Whichever you pick, a person answers, and the 24-hour response guarantee covers the call.
Places next door
Bees at the end of the road?
Phone day or night, or fill in the quote form and attach a picture. Gate codes, harvest crews and tenant notice all get worked into the schedule.
Tell us where the bees are
Three fields are enough to start: your name, a number we can reach, and the city or neighborhood. Anything else you add saves a question on the callback.
- (786) 442-2496
- Prefer texting? Send a picture
- Someone picks up day and night