Honey bees aboard a boat or in a dock box come out alive, with no pesticide near the water. The crew opens the hatch or console, boxes the bees for a beekeeper, cuts out every comb and wipes the compartment clean. Owners out of town can arrange it all by phone at (954) 429-5133.
Clues the bees have moved aboard
- Bees streaming through a console vent, drain or hatch seam.
- A football-sized cluster under a T-top, bimini or outrigger base.
- A hum from a shut locker on an idle boat.
- Wax flakes, dead bees or sticky drips below a hatch.
Why a parked boat appeals to a swarm
Fresh from its parent colony, a swarm clusters for a day or two while scouts hunt for a home: a dry, dark space roughly the volume of a 40-quart cooler, with a small entrance low down. A center console with a deck-level vent, or a seat locker with a drain hole, fits that brief.
A boat that runs every weekend rarely gives a swarm time to build comb. One left tied up behind a Lighthouse Point home for a month, or covered all summer, does. Swarms peak in spring.
Where colonies settle aboard and on the docks
- Consoles and electronics boxes, through a vent or gauge-panel gap.
- T-tops and outrigger bases: molded cavities and hollow tubing.
- Bimini tops and covers, where a loose swarm hangs in folded canvas.
- Cockpit, anchor and seat lockers, plus dry fish boxes.
- Dock boxes and marina buildings, via eave gaps (see soffit and eave removal).
Bees aboard while you're far from the boat?
Have the dockmaster text a photo; we'll arrange the rest.
No spray near the water, no scratched gelcoat
Insecticide on a deck never stays there. Rain and washdowns carry it out the scuppers into the canal, where fish and manatees feed, so we use none.
Gelcoat scratches and isinglass clouds, so panels come off by their own screws onto padded drop cloths. Comb left in a closed hull softens in summer heat and seeps into foam and wiring, so full comb cleanup comes with every boat job.
When the owner is miles away
Away for the summer? Then a dockmaster, captain or neighbor may be the first to spot bees on your boat.
We clear access with marina management, send a certificate of insurance if asked, and text the owner photos and an itemized bill. Filing a claim? Read our insurance guide. Running a marina or condo dock? See HOA and commercial removal.
What's Included and What Changes the Price
Part of every job
- Live capture, colony rehomed at a beekeeper's yard
- Panels and hatches removed by their own fasteners
- All comb out, honey cleaned off fiberglass, canvas and foam
- Entry screened without blocking drains or engine-room vents
- Insurance certificate on request, photo record and itemized bill
What moves the price
- A cluster on a bimini or T-top costs less than comb in a console.
- Wiring, gauges or plumbing in the way.
- A trailer in the driveway versus a boat the marina must pull from a rack.
- Night and weekend emergency trips, billed above a weekday visit.
Bees we can reach on a T-top or piling, or a fresh start in a dock box, run roughly $300 to $400. Comb filling a console or cabin compartment, with wiring to pull and honey in the foam, can climb into the thousands. A phone shot of the vent or hatch seam they use, texted to us, gets you a range; the price guide explains the rest.
Compare job types on the pricing page.
How a dockside removal runs
- Photos and access firstThe owner, captain or dockmaster texts photos. We confirm the slip number, keys, gate codes and who will meet us at the dock.
- Locate the combA thermal camera shows the warm patch a colony leaves on a console wall or liner, so we open one panel instead of guessing at three.
- Bees off aliveBees go into a ventilated box, comb comes out in pieces, and the colony rides to a beekeeper (where rescued bees end up).
- Clean, close and reportHoney and wax come off gelcoat and canvas, panels go back on their own screws and the entry gets screened. If bees return there, so do we.
Broward waterfronts where boats sit idle
- Lighthouse Point
Canals cut in the 1950s and '60s run through most of the city, so a boat out back is common. One left idle all summer invites swarms.
- Fort Lauderdale Waterfront
Some 165 miles of inland waterway and a big yacht maintenance trade put dock boxes and covered boats along canal after canal.
- Pompano Beach
Hillsboro Inlet, close by, links the Intracoastal to the ocean. Many residents winter here and leave in spring, so canal-side boats can sit through swarm season.
- Dania Beach
The state park off A1A has two boat ramps, and its Whiskey Creek is a manatee sanctuary: one more reason we never spray.
Questions About Boat & Marina Bee Removal
Can I just start the engine and run the bees off?
Bees clustered outside may scatter onto the next boat down the dock. A colony with comb in a console stays put underway, and agitated bees at the helm are a real hazard. Keep the boat tied up and send us a photo instead.
My boat is up on a dry-stack rack and I'm out of state. Does that change anything?
The marina has to bring it down within reach first, and that pull can add to the price. Nobody from your household needs to be there: the marina office or a captain you trust lets us aboard and can have our certificate of insurance. Photos come to your phone during the job, an itemized bill follows, and the (954) 429-5133 line picks up 24/7 if something comes up while you're away.
Is a swarm on my T-top dangerous?
A fresh swarm has no comb or young to guard, so it is usually calm. Keep people and pets off the boat anyway: South Florida has Africanized honey bees, and some colonies defend hard. If bees chase anyone on the dock, go to emergency removal.
The bees are in a dock box or marina building. Same service?
Yes. Same rules: live capture, no spray, every comb out. Dock boxes, utility pedestals, ship-store eaves and boatyard sheds all come up. Condo associations with shared docks can also read our condo removal page, or request a free quote.
Slip number, gate code, one photo of the hatch
Send all three by text to (954) 429-5133; the quote is free, and the 24-hour response guarantee applies at the dock too.