Bee removal in Surfside, from oceanfront towers to the author-named streets

Surfside, wedged between Miami Beach and Bal Harbour, is a small town with three very different kinds of building stacked side by side. On the ocean side of Collins Avenue stand multistory condominiums and hotels. One block west, Harding Avenue holds the town's commercial strip from 94th to 96th Street. West of Harding and south of 95th Street, the residential grid of single-family homes, duplexes and small apartment buildings runs down to the town line at 87th Street.

That mix matters to a honey bee scout looking for a dry, dark cavity. Some older buildings here still date from the 1940s through the 1960s, built in Streamline Moderne and Miami Modern styles with flat roofs, parapets and concrete block walls. Newer glass towers have fewer cracks but plenty of mechanical voids. University of Florida entomologists note that African-derived honey bees, which are found in Florida, nest in much smaller spaces than European bees and have turned up in water meter boxes and cement blocks. In a town this compact, a colony is rarely far from a neighbor's door.

Where colonies settle on Surfside buildings

Notes for each part of town

• Collins Avenue oceanfront

  Condominiums and hotels line the beach side of Collins. Expect to coordinate through the manager or front desk, send our COI ahead of the visit, and plan roof or balcony access around residents and guests.

• Harding Avenue business district

  Shops and restaurants between 94th and 96th Streets share walls and awnings. A colony in one storefront can affect the unit next door, so we plan the opening and the cleanup with every tenant who shares the wall.

• Collins Avenue Historic District

  Nine buildings on the west side of Collins and the east side of Harding, between 90th and 91st Streets, were recognized in 2016 for Streamline Moderne and Mid-Century Modern design. Repairs here should match the original finish, and photos of each opening are yours on request.

• The author-named residential grid

  West of Harding, streets carry the names of British and American writers such as Irving, Hawthorne, Emerson, Byron and Dickens. Homes and duplexes sit close together, so we warn neighbors before the comb comes out of a wall.

• Lots on the Indian Creek side

  The town's western edge reaches the Indian Creek waterway. Yards that face Bay Harbor Islands across the water can hide colonies in dock boxes, seawall cavities and boat covers, which we reach from the land side whenever possible.

Why half a square mile has so many openings

Surfside has seen a wave of new development. The town's own history notes that many small apartments and hotels from the 1940s to the 1960s have been razed for new construction, while others still stand beside brand-new towers. That leaves a patchwork: aging stucco and block on one lot, fresh curtain wall on the next, and construction work that can disturb a hidden colony enough that it abandons the cavity and moves into another one nearby.

Each type fails differently. Older buildings crack at joints, roof edges and around wall-unit air conditioners. Newer ones are tight on the outside but carry hollow chases, roof mechanical rooms and decorative cladding with gaps behind it. On every one of them, the goal is the same: find the comb, take the colony out alive through the smallest practical opening, then close the cavity so the scent that draws bees back is gone. Our notes on bees returning to the same spot explain why skipping that last step tends to fail.

Working with condo boards and managers

A colony in a condo tower is usually the association's job, but the call can start with any resident who sees bees on a balcony. Ahead of the visit the manager gets our COI, we settle on a window for roof or elevator access, and say exactly which units or common areas are affected. Thermal imaging lets us locate the comb behind a wall or ceiling before anything is cut, which keeps the opening small and the board's repair bill shorter.

Patching is handled by licensed roofers, painters and contractors on our own crew. The workmanship carries a warranty, and we head back out if bees reappear at a gap we closed. Ask, and the manager receives a photo set and a line-by-line invoice to close out the work order. Boards weighing a tower job can read how high-rise removals are staged and what property managers usually need on paper.

A town where many homes sit vacant part of the year

At the 2020 census, 37.4 percent of Surfside's housing units were counted as vacant. An empty apartment or house gives scouts weeks of quiet to choose a cavity, and a colony can be well established by the time an owner returns or a neighbor reports the traffic.

While you are away, a manager or neighbor can text us a picture of where the bees go in, and we can arrange entry through the building or a key holder. For owners who split the year, the seasonal-home field guide lists the corners a caretaker should glance at on each walk-through, and the one on scout bees explains the short window when a few curious bees can still be discouraged before a swarm moves in.

How a removal runs in Surfside

1. Start with a photo

   One phone shot of the gap, plus a line saying house, shop or condo unit, lets us plan the visit. That tells us which ladders, lifts and paperwork to bring.

2. Clear it with the building

   For condos and shops we contact management, email the COI and confirm roof, elevator or loading area access, plus where the truck can park on a tight block.

3. Find the comb and remove it

   On a tight Surfside lot every cut should be small, so a thermal camera maps the warm comb behind the stucco or ceiling first. Bees and comb then leave alive through that single opening, bound for a beekeeper.

4. Close the cavity and clean up

   Our own crew cleans out honey and wax, seals the gap and restores the stucco, roofing or paint, with photos of each step if you want them.

Matching removal work

Questions people ask us

Places next door