Honey bees settle in hurricane shutters because a folded accordion stack, a roll-down box or a pile of stored panels is a dry, dark cavity that nobody touches for most of the year. Check every shutter before the season opens on June 1. If bees boil out when you start closing one, stop, get inside and call (954) 429-5133. From there, the bees leave the hood or stack alive, every comb goes with them, and the slot they used gets sealed.
Why Scout Bees Pick Your Shutters
The state building code puts all of Broward in its strictest wind tier, the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, so windows and sliders here commonly get impact glass or shutters. The shutters sit folded, rolled or stacked for the better part of the year.
A scout hunting a home for her swarm wants a dark, dry space with a narrow doorway and room to hang comb. A shutter untouched since last fall fits that list. Bees that move in during spring can have several sheets of comb and honey in place before the first storm cone of the season points at the coast.
Shutter colonies turn up wherever shutters are plentiful: condo buildings along the roughly three miles of Pompano Beach beachfront, the postwar neighborhoods of Fort Lauderdale, and the beachfront and older single-family streets of Hollywood.
Where the Colony Hides in Each Shutter Type
- Accordion shutters. The blades fold into a stack at each side of the opening. Comb goes into the gap between stack and wall and follows the folds, often right beside a balcony slider.
- Roll-down shutters. The curtain winds into a box, or hood, over the window or under the eave. The slot where the slats feed out is a ready-made entrance. Once comb climbs out of the box into the soffit or rafters, the job becomes a roof and attic removal.
- Stored storm panels. Corrugated steel or aluminum panels leaning in a garage, side yard or carport leave a shallow void behind every ridge. Bees fill them layer by layer, and the first clue is traffic at one edge of the stack.
- Tracks, clips and bolt holes. Header and sill tracks with a lost end cap, and empty anchor holes once the panels come down. An anchor hole that breaks into a hollow concrete block lets bees into the wall itself, which calls for wall bee removal instead.
Storm cone over Broward and bees in a shutter?
Photograph the hood or stack from well back and send it. Phones are staffed 24/7, with a response inside 24 hours.
A Pre-Season Check Before June 1
The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, busiest from late August through September. Walk the house in May, on a calm, warm morning when foragers are out.
- Stand back from each side stack, box slot and panel pile. A bee or two means little; a steady stream using one opening is a colony.
- Listen under each roll-down box on a warm afternoon. A steady hum from a closed hood is not the motor.
- Run each shutter a short way, not the full travel, and stop if it drags, stalls or smells of wax and honey.
- With gloves on, lift only the top panel of a stored stack and look before moving the rest.
Found traffic at one shutter? Text us a photo of the slot or stack edge they use, zoomed in from well back, and we can reply with a price range. On site, a thermal camera shows how far the comb runs inside a box or wall before anything gets opened.
If Bees Pour Out When You Start Closing
Stop cranking and leave the shutter where it is. Walk away calmly, get indoors and shut the doors and windows on that side. Bring children and pets in, and leave the hose and spray cans alone: soaking or poisoning the entrance only riles the colony and fouls the track.
Wild colonies across South Florida can carry Africanized genes, so bees that keep chasing past the yard deserve real caution. When the colony has landed a lot of stings on someone, or their lips, face or throat are swelling, the first number to dial is 911, not ours. Once everyone is safe, ring (954) 429-5133. Routine shutter jobs wait behind any stinging emergency, and every emergency bee removal call is covered by the 24-hour response guarantee.
Prepping for a Storm With a Colony in the Shutter
A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours; a warning means they are expected within 36 hours. If bees are still in a shutter and the cone covers Broward, call when you first see the track, not when the warning goes up. Booking early keeps the bill down too, since a weekday visit costs less than a night or weekend run on the eve of landfall.
Do not close the shutter on the bees to get it over with. Crushed comb dumps honey down the track and stucco, and survivors look for another way out, sometimes into the house. Finish the rest of your prep and tell us which openings you need closed so we can plan around them.
Condo shutters may be yours or the association's; the condo and HOA guide covers who signs off, and the board can have our certificate of insurance.
After the Storm: Displaced Colonies and New Swarms
When Hurricane Wilma came ashore in October 2005, it brought down trees all over Broward. Storms like that split hollow oaks and topple palms, evicting the colonies inside. Those bees cluster on a fence or downed limb, then hunt for a cavity, and a freshly opened shutter or new panel stack is right there.
Wind also strips bloom from trees and hedges, so homeless colonies are hungry and quick to defend. Give a cluster room and book swarm removal before it moves into a wall or roof.
As panels come down, inspect each one before it goes back on the pile, stack them tight, and thread bolts back into empty anchors or cap them. If the storm also opened a roof or wall to bees, our photos and a line-by-line invoice can back up your claim; see insurance and bee damage.
What Getting Bees Out of a Shutter Involves
The hood, cover or stack comes open, the bees and every piece of comb come out, and a beekeeper takes the colony. Nothing is sprayed. Tracks and box corners get scrubbed, since leftover wax tempts the next swarm, and the gap is sealed. Comb that ran into a soffit, wall or roof means our own contractors, roofers and painters close it up.
When the bees are new and the accordion or panel pile sits at ground level, the price is generally $300 to $400. A second-story roll-down box with comb in the soffit can reach into the thousands. See the pricing page for what moves the number; the quote is free.
Common Questions
Can I just close the shutter and trap the bees inside?
Please don't. Crushed comb sends honey down the track and wall, and survivors may find a gap into your home. A colony that dies in a sealed box leaves rotting comb that draws ants and roaches. Call (954) 429-5133 and leave that opening for us.
Will the bees leave a shutter on their own?
A swarm hanging on the outside of a shutter often moves on in a day or two. Traffic disappearing into a hood, track or panel pile is another matter: those bees have comb inside, and once settled they stay through winter and keep growing. Step back across the yard and text us a photo; we can tell a resting swarm from a settled colony on camera.
How do I keep bees out of stored storm panels?
Keep them flat and tightly stacked inside a closed garage or shed, not leaning against an outside wall, with clips and wing nuts in a lidded bin. Every few months between storms, lift the top panel and check underneath for fresh comb.