Anyone tell me the theory of having 2-boxes, and how it is supposed to work? I saw the plans on beesorce.com, and was interested in trying my skills at building one. Can't you do the same thing using a converted vacumn cleaner? Please, i'm just trying to find out how it supposed to work?
Hummmmm. Well lets see.
The first box actually holds a vacuum. (I’m talking air pressure not the machine) It also holds the inner box or “bee catcher” or “vacuum bag”. If you didn’t have the inner box the bees that are sucked in would go strait into the vacuum (the machine) itself.
You really need to make 2 inner boxes. Believe me, you will use both at some point or another.
Yes you can convert a standard shop-vac if you want. You only need to do a few things. 1. you need something to catch the bees in, inside the vacuum.
2. You need to cut a “air flow regulator” into the side of the vacuum so you are not sucking the bees in too fast.
BB
I still prefer my bee vac made from five gallon buckets over those complicated box types. One lid is for hose attachement, several others are just screened. All buckets and lids match. No construction necessary. One can vac as many bes as one has buckets to fill. The bees dump out of the bickets easily. Small vacs that attached to the lids are easy to come by, or a shop vac and hose can be used. Buckets are easy to carry up and hang from ladders.
It does sound intresting odfrank, do you have any pics or drawings of it? Sure would like to see it.
BB
Odfrank i would love to see pictures of your set up. The buckets sound a whole lot better. What horsepower motor or you using. Th plans on beesorce are calling for a 1-hp motor, or does it matter
I will try to make a pic. I got three matching buckets and lids.I just found a small old vac which I fastened to a lid. It has an intake screen made with 1/8" mesh on the inside bottom of the lid. I bought spa hose at HD, which I plumbed to the lid. I made a nozzle for the hose out of plastic Sch. 80 conduit. I added a ball valve to the lid as a bleed so that I can lower the intake on the hose. I put screens on the other two lids. I also made a big screened bucket. I made a foam pillow for the bottom of the bucket. I have actually vac'd three swarms in a day, two of which I dumped together in the large bucket as they were small. Sometimes I shake, scrape or dump the bulk of a swarm into one bucket, and just vac the remains as it is a slow process. The swarms can be stored in the screened buckets for a long time.
I posted pictures in the Yahoo Biological Beekepers group. You might have to join the group to view the pics. Here is the link. Hope it works.
http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group....src=gr&.view=
**** !!!! am I computer nerd or what ???? the link works for me, but I am a member. No cost to join, by the way. And I even had a digital camera and the vac in my truck. I am driving a Subaru Baja now, great bee truck. Will fit four hives with the tailgate open and the bed extender open. The all wheel drive works great too.
Sorry, but I could find your picture on Yahoo. I do have an account alreay, but no can find. I even search the beekeeping groups. Could you try post the url again. I would like to see your setup with the buckets. Thanks -Bill
Odfrank: i sure wood like to see the photos, but I couldn't find it either. I have an active yahoo account also. The first bucket with the motor attached is the same as just using a standard wet vac, is that correct? then attach to a second bucket with a hose, and coupler, with another hose going from lid to the bees? The screen wire is a hole in the side maybe, with a closeable flap to adjust air suction?
You probably have to join not only Yahoo, but also the Biological Beekeeper group to see the pics. Email me if you want me to email you the pics, which I did for the two fellows above.
I'm a member of yahoo and Biological Beekeepers. The pics came up fine for me, thanks odfrank. You computer nerd!
BB
Odfrank,
I'd really like it if you would send me the pix. I made something up out of a gadget made to vacuum ashes. It's a sort of holding tank between the vacuum and the bees. I built a screened box into that. I picked it up from harbor freight but they don't always have the same things. It holds 5 gals.
Dickm@snet.net
I made my vac using an electric leaf blower head that will quickly detatch and double as a bee blower. I use a 2" baffle hole to regulate airflow. The inner box is screened on a couple sides with a slide-out sheet metal bottom. When I'm done vacuming the bees into the inner box. I close off the hose inlet hole, pull out the inner box and set the inner box (made to fit on top of a langstrof box) slide out the sheet metal bottom and lighlty smoke the bees down into the deep (or medium)super with a temporarily closed off entrance.
Seems to work fine but only have a couple of removals under my belt. The only thing I would change (so far) with my set up is the vacum hose, I think I'll spend a little extra $ for a larger clear vinyl hose instead of the black articulated vacum hose (easier to see what kind of debre your picking up).
I would like to post some pics but I'm terrible with this computer stuff.
Surgar Bandit: I bought a 2-foot section of clear 1-1/4 reinforced with fiberglass mesh hose at lowes, cut into 2-pieces, and clamped it to the suction hose, one end going into the bee catcher bucket, and the other to get the bees. That way I can watch them going down, and also besure they are going into the bucket. I am also using and old 1-hp wet vac. I am using OdFranks, advise and am putting some carpet foam pad when they hit the bucket. In fact I just coppied Odfranks set up. Now I am just waiting to try it out. Thanks to all for your help.
Pine Rooster...I forgot to tell you, I charge ten dollars a person to copy my bee vac. A check is fine, cash is better. Thanks.
OdFrank: Thank you so much for the pictures, and your great inginuity. Your check is in the mail. Rooter
Actually, I think I got the five gallon bucket Bee Vac idea off of this forum about a year or two ago. Don't remember who came up with it.
I have a bee vac that is VERY inexpensive and VERY easy to make.
I have a 5 gallon bucket and 1.5 horse shopvac that I use. It is lightweight and has a quite simple air pressure regulator.
The hose I use are non-corrugated. Why? It is better for the bees. Can you imagine going 300 mph down a corrugated hose??
I bought the clear vinyl hose to use. I use it often for removing bees from walls and it work well for swarm capturing, but I have never had to use it for that. I have been trying to work on my webpage to get the pictures posted, but have been quite busy lately. www.beespace.bappy.com STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
Jason
I made a (bucket bee vac?) and tested it out today. I thought it worked great and was much lighter than the one I built out of wood. The only thing I didn’t like about it was removing the vacuum lid to replace it with the screen lit. Even when I bumped the vac on the ground I couldn’t get the cover off fast enough to replace it, without having bees (a lot of them) flying out.. A normal 5gal. bucket has 8 snaps on/around the lid. I removed 4 of them when I was building it so I would be able to remove the lid faster but it didn’t help. I ended up leaving the “vacuum” lit on and transporting them in it. Any ideas on how to fix this or should I just make 3 vacuum lids and be done with it?
BB
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