Once a building has had a beehive infestation, it will always risk another. The smells of a beehive can linger for years. The queen's pheromones, along with the wax and propolis residue, are particularly attractive to scout bees searching for a new hive location.

Once a beehive has been removed, it is paramount that proper repairs are performed to ensure reinfestation does not occur. It stands to reason that the first job is to try to seal the entry points, but one of the most critical tasks is to remove the space available to a new colony of bees.

Scout bees search for a protected space with a volume of at least 40Lts when choosing a location for a new hive. If there is not enough room, they can not move in. The use of insulation bats is a common method of filling out space previously occupied by a beehive.

This house at Sunrise Beach, near Noosa on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, got swarmed two years in a row, despite homeowner vigilance. Almost 12 months to the day after Hinterland Bees removed a massive three-day-old swarm from inside the wall of this Sunrise Beach home, we were back, taking one out of the ceiling in a different part of the house.

The homeowners had done the right thing when repairing the previous nest site, filling the space with insulation bats to prevent reinfestation and sealing all entry points. However, scout bees were still observed checking out the original swarm-removal site. When they could not get in, they chose another spot in the ceiling in a different part of the house.

It is no coincidence, nor is it uncommon that this home attracted a second swarm. Because this property is a swarm-target, we have now provided a swarm catch-box mounted in the backyard, which will hopefully be a more attractive nesting option for the next swarm that comes by.