Honey Bee Removal from a Roof & Soffit | Shawnee, KS

City: Shawnee, Kansas

Property Type: Residential Home

Insect Type: Honey bees

The homeowner was seeing a lot of honey bee traffic at the soffit along the roofline.
The immediate risk to the homeowner was a potential stinging hazard. The additional risk was structural honey damage. Honey could drip into the attic and eventually down through the ceiling into the home, creating an attraction for ants and other insects as well as a sticky mess.

The colony was located visually within the soffit by observing the bee activity and evaluating the home’s construction.
The colony was not found to be limited to the soffit. Once the soffit void was exposed and cleaned out, it became apparent that the nest extended into the attic, which was only accessible from the roof.

Approximately 150 pounds of honeycomb was removed. The golden-brown and very light-brown coloring of the comb indicated that portions of the colony were approximately one to two years old.
The colony was healthy and thriving, with an abundance of active brood and a large quantity of stored honey.

The soffit was opened to expose the honeycomb, and the nest material was removed along with the live honey bees.
After the soffit was opened and the accessible portion of the nest was removed, additional areas inside the attic were found to contain honeycomb. The roof was opened to provide access to these areas.

A specialized bee vacuum was positioned on the roof to provide access to the void space and safely collect the live bees.
A complete live removal of the honeycomb, honey, and brood was performed.
The void space was filled with fiberglass insulation to help prevent a future colony from rebuilding in the same location. This was possible because the area should remain protected from water intrusion after the roof repairs were completed.

The roof was restored using 30-pound felt paper and roofing shingles. The soffit was nailed back into place, and the repaired areas were caulked and touched up with paint.

The honey bee colony was successfully relocated.
After the removal, the homeowner observed honey coalescing around the fireplace mantel. This occurred because some of the honey remaining in the attic could not be prevented from dripping onto the vaulted ceiling drywall, which sloped toward the fireplace mantel.
The dripping eventually stopped once the honey remaining on the attic side of the ceiling had drained away. The roof did not leak as a result of the removal.
There has been no known recurrence of a honey bee colony in this location since the removal was completed.

Keeping gaps and openings in building structures properly sealed is one of the first defenses against insect infestation.
If you see honey bees entering a gap in a soffit, roofline, siding, or other part of a building, it is important to address the problem as soon as possible. Investigating the source of the bee activity can help prevent a small opening from becoming access to a much larger colony.
You can read our Swarm Behavior FAQ for more information.

Roof Shingle & Soffit Removal