I made one from 2 plastic totes, a medium sized shop vac and an old pool cleaning hose. It works flawlessly for a $50 investment. You need a larger inner box and put a nuc entrance disc on the outer box to regulate the amount of vacuum so you don't suck their lips off. I used the long pool hose to get the noisy vacuum away from the catch box and use a short hose for the least amount of trauma. Thanks!
Ideally, the hose through which the bees are drawn should be smooth-walled (that ribbed hose is a bit tough on them), and the vacuum adjusted to be just enough and no more, or the bees will be damaged and honey and wax drawn in (as you discovered), but you seem to be on the right track. The smooth-walled hose is also easier to wash out, as some (maybe a lot) of nectar and honey will inevitably get all over the inside. Personally, I'd use a hive body as the catch box, with a custom-made baseboard and top cover. Populate it with frames in advance, and draw the air out through the (mesh screened) bottom board (no entrance) and in through the custom top cover. By just holding the base, hive body and top cover in place with straps, you can just swap in a fresh one each time, and never need to transfer the bees - just swap in the framed-up brood and any honey you want to give back to them. It is better to keep the orientation the same, as cells in honeycomb are slightly slanted - apparently 13deg, although I've never measured it myself. Putting it in any other orientation risks drowning brood or allowing nectar to run out. You can get away with framing it sideways or upside down, but it makes more work for the ladies and reduces success rates. Having a set of different nozzles will make it easier to reach any nooks and crevices. You can tell if you do suck the queen up as bees will be drawn to the exhaust of the vacuum, and start fanning the Nasanov pheromone. I think you may be out of luck with a patented design as so many already exist - even ones with Li-Ion batteries that can be worn as a backpack if you want to get really excited about it, and use it where there is no power available. Nice proof of concept for a homebuilt bee-vac though!
I've been using a bucket head vac on a home depot bucket for 7 years now with great luck. 2 buckets. One has 4 screened holes, one has 2 unscreened holes. Easy to adjust the vacuum to only pick up a blade of grass. Easy to carry up a ladder. Easy to put in the front passenger seat of my van. Light weight and not bulky. I learned how to make it at a bee club meeting 7 years ago and have used it alot since then
I am new to beekeeping, less than a year...Arizona. I have been doing bee removals and am loving it, so much fun and free bees😁. My husband made a bucket bee and vac, using 1 bucket inside the other and a cordless, battery vacuum. It doesn't suck too hard, so the bees are just fine. We first used a hard plastic hose, that you would use for plumbing, super hard to bend. So we tried the flexible ribbed hose that normally would be attached to a shop vac. First time experiencing that towards the end of the removal, the bees we getting clogged in the hose due to the honey. It was a pretty big hive. You know you try to be careful not damaging the comb, but it happens. I watch this guy out of Gorgia who has been doing bee removals for several years. He has perfected the bee vac. I enjoy your channel, thank you for sharing! Take care!
Or the smoke blocks the attack and defend pheromones 😂 This has to be the most brutal Retrieval I’ve ever seen, you weren’t gentle with the bees or the comb, it would have almost been kinder to spray and kill them,
Who are you gonna Call ?... Beebusters !!! 🐝 Hope your Mum's good... She used to be in your earlier Videos. Guess Dad stays in the background Saying 'Language' Beeman ???? 🙄 I got educated but still cannot find the Word ! 😎 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Happy Beekeeping 2022. 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Can we have some Riverland Weather this way please... About to get our first Snow ❄️ here in Scotland. 🏴 (So far it's been mild for us 16c in Nov !) Wish I could hunker down like the Bees into a tight Mantle. Way cheaper than Cost of Living Fuel Bills.... I'll let myself out. Hope Winky Bees make it out of the Dunny ! 😵💫
I made one from 2 plastic totes, a medium sized shop vac and an old pool cleaning hose. It works flawlessly for a $50 investment. You need a larger inner box and put a nuc entrance disc on the outer box to regulate the amount of vacuum so you don't suck their lips off. I used the long pool hose to get the noisy vacuum away from the catch box and use a short hose for the least amount of trauma. Thanks!
G’day Rodney🍺
@@downunderfulla6001 Hey partner!!! How's everything going?
Ideally, the hose through which the bees are drawn should be smooth-walled (that ribbed hose is a bit tough on them), and the vacuum adjusted to be just enough and no more, or the bees will be damaged and honey and wax drawn in (as you discovered), but you seem to be on the right track. The smooth-walled hose is also easier to wash out, as some (maybe a lot) of nectar and honey will inevitably get all over the inside. Personally, I'd use a hive body as the catch box, with a custom-made baseboard and top cover. Populate it with frames in advance, and draw the air out through the (mesh screened) bottom board (no entrance) and in through the custom top cover. By just holding the base, hive body and top cover in place with straps, you can just swap in a fresh one each time, and never need to transfer the bees - just swap in the framed-up brood and any honey you want to give back to them. It is better to keep the orientation the same, as cells in honeycomb are slightly slanted - apparently 13deg, although I've never measured it myself. Putting it in any other orientation risks drowning brood or allowing nectar to run out. You can get away with framing it sideways or upside down, but it makes more work for the ladies and reduces success rates.
Having a set of different nozzles will make it easier to reach any nooks and crevices. You can tell if you do suck the queen up as bees will be drawn to the exhaust of the vacuum, and start fanning the Nasanov pheromone.
I think you may be out of luck with a patented design as so many already exist - even ones with Li-Ion batteries that can be worn as a backpack if you want to get really excited about it, and use it where there is no power available.
Nice proof of concept for a homebuilt bee-vac though!
I've been using a bucket head vac on a home depot bucket for 7 years now with great luck. 2 buckets. One has 4 screened holes, one has 2 unscreened holes. Easy to adjust the vacuum to only pick up a blade of grass. Easy to carry up a ladder. Easy to put in the front passenger seat of my van. Light weight and not bulky. I learned how to make it at a bee club meeting 7 years ago and have used it alot since then
I’m grateful for subtitles, as I can only understand about half, at most, of what you’re saying. 🤷♂️👍
incredible you found the queen. 😊
I am new to beekeeping, less than a year...Arizona. I have been doing bee removals and am loving it, so much fun and free bees😁. My husband made a bucket bee and vac, using 1 bucket inside the other and a cordless, battery vacuum. It doesn't suck too hard, so the bees are just fine. We first used a hard plastic hose, that you would use for plumbing, super hard to bend. So we tried the flexible ribbed hose that normally would be attached to a shop vac. First time experiencing that towards the end of the removal, the bees we getting clogged in the hose due to the honey. It was a pretty big hive. You know you try to be careful not damaging the comb, but it happens. I watch this guy out of Gorgia who has been doing bee removals for several years. He has perfected the bee vac. I enjoy your channel, thank you for sharing! Take care!
CHEERS MARK. BRILLIANT WORK. UNREAL WHAT THE TICKS CAN DO.
Going out and getting bees like that can really build up your bee yard fast I bet. Can't beat free bees
I think the box is nearly there, people can say what they want. But there's always something else to invent
It's been 12 days since your last video. This is unusual. I miss seeing your latest adventures and hope all is alright with you and your family.
Are you Doing OK? I miss new episodes. Just worried that you ma not be doing well.
Ok may leik for yuo..thanks
Iv just done my first hunny retreavel and I don’t no but put my thumb through the screans so I took all the wax
Or the smoke blocks the attack and defend pheromones 😂
This has to be the most brutal Retrieval I’ve ever seen, you weren’t gentle with the bees or the comb, it would have almost been kinder to spray and kill them,
Who are you gonna Call ?... Beebusters !!! 🐝
Hope your Mum's good... She used to be in your earlier Videos. Guess Dad stays in the background Saying 'Language' Beeman ???? 🙄
I got educated but still cannot find the Word ! 😎
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Happy Beekeeping 2022.
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Can we have some Riverland Weather this way please... About to get our first Snow ❄️ here in Scotland. 🏴 (So far it's been mild for us 16c in Nov !)
Wish I could hunker down like the Bees into a tight Mantle. Way cheaper than Cost of Living Fuel Bills.... I'll let myself out.
Hope Winky Bees make it out of the Dunny ! 😵💫
You're putting the comb in the wrong way up
Can you tell me why you don’t mark your your queen she’d be easer to find her cheers
I miss your new stuff done in your perfect unedited stuff, the telly stuff is ok but no way as funny
Has to be the WORST hive extraction I have ever seen.