What did you do in the 'workshop' today

[The Poot]

Refurbished a well used bird box so it can do a few more years.

 

[Vanterrier]

Made my own "bee-vac"... its powered by a V6 Dyson and has adjustable suction power.
Has anyone made or used one?
K

 

[Sutty]

Made my own "bee-vac"... its powered by a V6 Dyson and has adjustable suction power.
Has anyone made or used one?
K

Pictures?

 

[Vanterrier]

Pictures?

as long as you don't laugh...




Suction control flap

Underside of lid

Base of bucket has sponge liner for soft landing.
Dyson runs for 20-25 mins

K

 

[Sutty]

Nice work, it doesn't have to be pretty to work!
I wonder if smooth-bore hose would do less damage to the bees?
Maybe a bigger "dome" of mesh over the vacuum tube under the lid so bees are less likely to be clogged against it. You could have a complete sheet of mesh on the underside with just a hole to let the bees-in hose poke through it.

 

[Vanterrier]

Yes I intend to get some smooth bore...

thanks
K

 

[Swarm]

Nice work.

 

[user 819]

I made one some time ago and it is posted in the DIY section.
Tbh smooth bore shouldn't make much difference as the suction power shouldn't be too great to cause harm to them.
My one was an old fermenting beer bin that wasn't being used and a cheap 12v car vac , battery power are the power packs I use for my vape pans.

I guess with using the shallower squat bucket there is chance the bees could block the mesh but one will have to wait and see when it is tested. One could always rivet a pair of tubs inside each other to gain more depth.

My suction test was using a 30mm plaster board nail , the suction was able to just lift the nail up the pipe by 6- 8 " so more then enough to gently waft the bees up without damage.

 

[Garry R]

I also thought that a smooth bore would be better for the care of the bees but every commercially produced bee vac seems to have the ribbed hose (as do most vacuum cleaners) Wonder why? Are they more rigid for long lengths. I did wonder about a cheapo car hoover but worried about long distance suction power, But bees are not heavy so it's set me wondering again. I would have thought that low suction would have been less damaging although clearing a swarm from a bush might take a bit longer. Cpmpromises I suppose like most things in life

 

[Pembroke]

I also thought that a smooth bore would be better for the care of the bees but every commercially produced bee vac seems to have the ribbed hose (as do most vacuum cleaners) Wonder why? Are they more rigid for long lengths. I did wonder about a cheapo car hoover but worried about long distance suction power, But bees are not heavy so it's set me wondering again. I would have thought that low suction would have been less damaging although clearing a swarm from a bush might take a bit longer. Compromises I suppose like most things in life

It would have to be tested, but maybe the ribs inside the pipe cause a swirl effect that keeps dust (and bees) away from the edges of the pipe and they just 'waft' down the middle never touching the sides as you don't often see ribbed pipes clogged with dust when the vac is used for it's original task.

 

[user 819]

I tried mine on a swarm last year, though they were only a small swarm hanging off a railed fence, my hose approx. 4' long didn't have an issue nor did the 12v low power vac. My vac has a 7000hpa suction rating, the dyson v6 is a good option if one has one laying about or can get a used one cheap as they have the integrated battery.
I also have another 4' hose extension and it still hoovers up the bees ok.

 

[Newbeeneil]

every commercially produced bee vac seems to have the ribbed hose (as do most vacuum cleaners) Wonder why?

I would guess ribbed hoses give the best flexibility with best crush resistance.

 

[Vanterrier]

My Dyson V6 was bought on ebay cheaply and I have a spare older battery which gives me the running time I saw today. The sliding flap on the lid allows the suction force to be adjusted so bees are not whipped away too quickly.
I intended its use mainly to catch stragglers after the main swarm is captured as I'm not sure if 20'odd minutes would be enough to suck up a whole swarm? Time will tell I suppose.
Anyway it had me playing canny in my workshop for a couple of hours.
Thanks for the suggestions.
K

 

[Just Steve]

I've made a couple and whilst they were OK for the collection part and didn't harm the bees a bit of thought was needed to make them suitable to transport them once they were inside. Without adequate ventilation they could easily overheat on the journey home even with aircon in modern cars. I came to the conclusion that battery power was better than mains for the collection in most situations and could then also be used to create a continuous airflow during transportation.

 

[Vanterrier]

Interesting... I hadn't thought of the transporting aspect. Perhaps I should make a 12v car vac mod to plug in for the journey home as you suggest.
Nice one, thanks
K

 

[Damo944]

@Vanterrier Check out Dyson battery adaptor on amazon/eBay and old work colleague has one and sticks an 18v Makita battery on the Dyson at home.. would work well for you and increase your runtime.

 

[Vanterrier]

My next planned development was to replace the plastic bucket with a Nuc body so the bees were sucked directly into their new home... would need to think about how to have them enter it gently... maybe a temporary plenum attached to the nuc??? Or a deep eke below the roof for a top entry???
K

 

[JamezF]

My next planned development was to replace the plastic bucket with a Nuc body so the bees were sucked directly into their new home... would need to think about how to have them enter it gently... maybe a temporary plenum attached to the nuc??? Or a deep eke below the roof for a top entry???
K

Quite a few of the ones I've seen have the vacuum pipe open in front of a sloping ramp, meaning the bees that don't get under their own power beforehand tend to hit it at a gentle angle and roll up the slope until they get themselves sorted.

James

 

[Vanterrier]

Quite a few of the ones I've seen have the vacuum pipe open in front of a sloping ramp, meaning the bees that don't get under their own power beforehand tend to hit it at a gentle angle and roll up the slope until they get themselves sorted.

James

Interesting... it wouldn't be hard to replace a solid floor with a sloping floor in an eke with an entry point for the vac hose. Food for thought.
Thanks
K

 

[BeeKeyPlayer]

I thought I'd finished everything I needed for the coming season but came across a large piece of 50mm Kingspan under the TT table in the garage waiting to be used. Most of my roofs are simply 4mm Correx, so Kingspan roofs with 150-200mm deep sides would be an upgrade - for three hives. Usual method: PVA, skewers, aluminium tape over exposed edges, and the lot coated in masonry paint. I'll use some 4mm Correx to protect the tops.