Fool Proof Bee vac

[creekroad]

I have done a lot of research on bee vacs. I see people sucking bees into buckets, cardboard cylinders, and even old coolers. One thing seems for sure they do suck up bees but the job of re-installing them is still ahead. After playing with a few different ideas it came to me. This bee vac is not real complex and as a beekeeper I had most of the supplies. And the best part is once your done removing them with the vac all you need is a bottom board, inner cover, and lid to set them up in there new home.

Check out vac here: http://youtu.be/81LdRJDgjZ0

See the vac in use here:http://youtu.be/DwP6fZ59ABI

[taydeko]

Looks similar to the RoboVac.

Ted

[BigGun]

Do you have a problem with the bees being killed from being blown onto the top of the frames?

[Charlie B]

It's just a Robo Vac with the bee intake on top instead of the bottom. I would think you'd bee slamming bees on the top bars of the frames.

[westernbeekeeper]

Looks interesting; might work.

[Mr.Beeman]

Taking into account that most vacs are used for cutouts, all you need is a space to house the bees temporarily (like a 3# package of bees). The frames can be used for attaching the comb during the actual cutout and the bees re itroduced when you get the hive set up.
My vac is completely opposite air flow wise. Intake through the bottom and vac hose through the top.
beevac.jpeg
beevac1.jpeg
beevac2.jpeg

This one is for small (nuc) cutouts or swarms. Frames are removed before cutout. I have a full sized (standard lang) version for bigger cutouts.
I did add (not pictured) a screened divider board just below the top section of the vac. Additional sections of hive bodies can be added to accomodate the size of cutout. All I have to do is remove the screened top, flip upside down over the set up hive and pull the screen board out an inch or so. The next day remove the vac box and install the hive top.
Similar to the RoboVac, but without the noisy motor on top of the bees. My vac has a twenty foot hose and sits as far away from me and the bees as possible. Quiet this way and I'm sure the bees appreciate it.

[creekroad]

With the damper to control the suction we have no more than a cup full of dead bees. If you watched the vac in use video at the end of the clip you'll see the vac being opened and the bees are fine.

[Intheswamp]

I'm not putting down your design for the sake of putting it down but it is basically the same design of the Robo vac. But, with your version the vacuum hoses are hooked up backwards (which doesn't work as well for at least a couple of reasons). I would definitely let the bee-end of the vac be at the bottom and the vacuum motor end be at the top as in the Robo version.

One reason you did not have many dead bees is because you ran the swarm out of the cavity with the Honey Robber and then shook the swarm into the trap rather than vacuuming them...very understandable as to why the low mortality rate. I'm afraid you would have never gotten those bees out of the cavity with a vacuum, but the honey robber worked out well...this time.

Best wishes,
Ed

[creekroad]

I understand why you think I did not catch them all with the vac based on the video. But actually your wrong. We used a separate box to catch them after they clustered on the tree limb. When you watched the video of the vac being used did you notice at the end we had 2 deeps full of bees? That's because we shook the clustered bees into a second box not the vac. The vac doesn't get opened until we got them home. What you see in the vac at the end is what we sucked up.

Jason

[odfrank]

> we have no more than a cup full of dead bees

That is a lot for the small amount you vacuumed. As others have said, if you put the suction on the top and your intake hose on the bottom onto a sloped ramp, you will kill almost non even on a large job. Look at the design of the Bushkill/Robo Vac. Yours slams the bees onto the frames.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z2x412XoA8

[Lburou]

Looks interesting; might work.

It will work for sure. Sometimes it is the little tweaks that make all the difference. It looks like a Robo Vac, but if you study it there are major differences. I'm sure he will tweak it after a few times out in the field. Creekroad, do you plan a screen for the top of the hive body to safely transport the bees on a hot day?

[creekroad]

We have used this vac 6 times now. And it seems if we have a removal it's hotter than heck the day we do them for some reason. We have never had problems with the bees getting hot during transport. I have made a screen plug that goes in the hole on the lid once we remove the hose. But the whole top of the medium box that my deep is setting on is screened. So once the big hole (3" I think) is removed from the medium they get air there also. I don't think a screened lid is a bad idea just haven't needed it.

[creekroad]

Everyone is worried that the bees are being slammed into the frames. Well, this is not the case. We have the suction turned down and when your picking up clumps of bee all at once it seems they do not move real fast through the hose. Now keep in mind our intake hose is only 1 1/2"diameter. So once this clump reaches the box they more less pour out. We have removed the frame under the intake hole before too. So this gives them room also.

[MichaelShantz]

I can't figure why anyone would want to use a heavy wood bee vac. My priorities are 1) light weight!!, 2) ease of transport in my SUV, 3) ease of dumping bees into their new home. Nothing I've seen beats my plastic bucket vac. plus it seldom kills a bee. Dumping it in a hive is the easiest part.
http://picasaweb.google.com/MichaelJ...92356089282370
Once they are vacuumed, they are in a light weight, easily transported, ventilated container, which is trivial to carry to their new hive and dump them in when I get home.

[odfrank]

>I can't figure why anyone would want to use a heavy wood bee vac
I have both.
There is no one perfect tool for every job. With your vac, you have to still dump the bees into their box fairly soon, with the bushkill they are already in their box on combs, so there is no hurry, but you have to later remove the top and bottom and give them a standard top and bottom. Also, the bushkill gives you the opportunity on cutouts to immediately merge them onto the cut out brood at the end of the job. Yours is better/cheaper for multiple jobs a day, but you have to shake all at the end of the day. The Bushkill keeps them cleaner as the debris stays on the bottom board and they can walk away from it onto the combs.

[Charlie B]

Although Michael is from Cupertino, I have to agree that my first choice is always my bucket vac unless the colony is a monster one, then I use my Robo style.

[MichaelShantz]

Perhaps, since I don't do cutouts and haven't needed to wire comb to frames etc, I haven't yet encountered the limits of the bucket vac. I can see where the Robo style might be really useful.

[odfrank]

Although Michael is from Cupertino,

Michael, notice how snotty Charlie is about those of us from `down the peninsula'? Kind of like we are from the other side of the tracks.

[Charlie B]

Let's just say San Mateo and Cupertino are not, well.....not exactly San Francisco!

[Dconrad]

This is the VAC i built it's a lot like the others of couse but a little differnt, my box is the same size as a deep box so plenty of space for bees. The way it works is of couse it is all closed so you can fill it with bees it even has a window so you can see how they are doing it has a control valve on the side of the box so you can increase or decrease the anount of suction. Once you have all the bees vaccumed and all your comb rubber banded to the frames. Then you put your frames in the 10 frame deep set it on top of the VAC then simpley slide the roof of the VAC back and the bees will move up into the box above with the brood. Next day take off and set on a SBB and your set.