# A simple great working bee vac.



## alleyyooper

First off I did not come up with this design, I found it on the inter net.

If you start retriveing swarms you will find times you wished you could reach 25 to 30 feet up a tree, or even had a way to get the ones wraped around limbs.
Well with a bee vac you can do most of that. 

Here is a box in a box design. It works but you have to dump the bees from the box to empty it and you should have more than onecatch box if the swarm is a large one.
Beesource Beekeeping Â» Bee Vac

Here is one that I like a lot. The bees go right into the hive where they are going to stay.
Bushkill Bee Vac | Robo's World


My current vac is a box in a box. The 3 pound package boxes modified are what I use the most. Once you transpost the bees to the new home you open the box just like installing a 3 pound package. See my post the gentile install. I still plan on doing the robo one this fall or winter.

Now you want to know how to reach up to 30 feet in a tree.
Useing a extention ladder of at least 20 feet you can add enough suction hose to the bee vac which you fasten to one of those telscopeing painters poles that extent to well over 10 feet. I believe mine goes over 18 feet.

A belt with a pocket like a fishing fighting belt would be nice to help hold that pole and hose.

 Al


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## alleyyooper

I captured this swarm that was about 35 feet up by useing a bee vac box inside a box design.
I had sat my floding ladder at 10 feet inside the box of the land owners pickup and the vac was on the roof.
You can see the use of the painting extention pole and the recycled modified use of 3 pound package boxes. the mods to the package box are carpet padding on the end away from the hose outlet to soften the landing. The removal of the center brace the syrup can fits on too.




























 Al


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## alleyyooper

Have been thinking for some time about building a different type of bee vac. Finally found plans of one that would do what I was wanting, suck the bees right into the hive their going to end up in.
Started a few days ago by going thru my stack of shallow and medium extra boxes. Found a medium for the bottom sanded it down and installed the ramp inside. The shallow I had grabbed for the top, when I inspected it closer it turned out to have a crack running thru the handle area. Decided to build the top from scratch. Finished it and was so proud of my work, but the sliding cover over the screen still needed the hole for the vac tube and the vent hole that regulates the suction drilled out.
Should have removed it to do the drilling. Have two real pretty holes in the ventilation screen. Just going to patch those holes for now. 














































http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/oldgrumpy/bee%20stuff/110822_3619.jpg[/IMG

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/oldgrumpy/bee%20stuff/110822_3622.jpg



















 Al


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## alleyyooper

I have used this vac on 9 swarms so far this year and one removal from a barn. It works great. I collected two swarms with in a mear hour of each other and decided I didn't care to remove the vac stuff so soon. Fearing them leaving where I put them I decided to build a second set up. I still used the sliding cover where the vac hooks up for the second set up. I also built a third bottom part and plan on doing a third top when i find time.










Once you get the set up where you want the swarm to live you remove the sliding cover and install a outer cover that is deep enough it blocks most of the light from the screen area. The bees when you first finish the retrival will be at that screen but with in a couple days they aregoing about normal business.

*HOW MUCH SUCTION TO USE.*

Helps to have a helper. set the pressure regulator full open, place the suction hose near the cluster of bees, close the regulator till the bees start being sucked in the vac. I did this at home with kares help and one of the hives in the front yard. I marked the pressure regultor opening with a sharpie so I could set it the same place each time. I am glad I did the test at home because I went on my first swarm call alone.

 Al


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## alleyyooper

On the second vac set up I found a shallow honey super that was in good condition except for the bottom that had had some rot on the bottom edge.
took it to the table saw and cut that bottom rot off about a quarter inch. then I flipped the box reset the table saw fence and cut the box so the frame rest were gone. Measureing 2 inches down from what I deemed would be the top I used a 1/4 slot cutting rotor bit to cut the slots for the slide. to keep the slide from sticking I made the slits 5/8 of an inch Cleaned the corners square with a 1/4 inch wood chisel. Used the jig saw to remove the front portion where the slide goes in.










Then carefully checking for nails I set the table saw fence at two inches from the bottom and cut the box totally apart. Stapled in the regular house screen Applied gorllia glue and screwed the pieces back together then stained it all.

Once all the parts were stained I sprayed the wether stripping edge of the parts with spray adhcive, even though the weather stripping is sticky doing that step helps it to stick even better.

Any questions?


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## TxGypsy

Thank you for posting this. Definitely going to put this on my winter woodworking list!


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