# DIY Bee Vacuum



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

I searched on Bee Vacuum and didn't come up with anything so no it is open game search for a DIY BEE VACUUM cuz they are already swarming here in NOVA

I saw this ad for an Owens Bee vac from brushy but cant see the thing up close to just make one...

Any ideas thanks!!


----------



## MonkeyMcBean (Mar 1, 2017)

People like to abbreviate vacuum to vac. Try bee vac. I've seen a bunch of different kinds on youtube. Super simple ones and others with a bunch of "features".


----------



## RedHalo (Apr 24, 2016)

I made this one last night and used this morning. Very, very good! Highly recommend!
https://youtu.be/cVcb35K1hr8


----------



## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

RedHalo that is a good one the only thing I do differnt is I use a plastic hose Connector. Made for shop hose.


----------



## rg58612455 (Jun 15, 2015)

I built the same one 2 years ago. It works great. I use plexi-glass instead of plywood on the top and reinforced the vac port and bleed port with wood blocks.I have used it at least a dozen times with very few dead bees. I use a bee suction hose that has a smooth inside so I don't roll the bees too much. The nice part of this vac is that all the junk that I suck up from a cut out stays in the vac box and the bees move up to cover the brood. just place on a new bottom board, put a lid on them and done.


RedHalo said:


> I made this one last night and used this morning. Very, very good! Highly recommend!
> https://youtu.be/cVcb35K1hr8


----------



## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

BeeBad said:


> Any ideas thanks!!


I've made four bee vacs. The one I use now has screened drawers that slide in and out of the box. It's not unusual for me to do multiple cutouts in a day, sometimes even multiple colonies at one location. So I have three sliding drawers. 

I use a motor that was recommended by our vacuum repairman and that I ordered off the internet. It is quiet and powerful. I use both a router speed controller from HF and a valve (a piece of wood that adjusts over a hole in the box) to control the vacuum pressure. The current model is the hands down favorite of both the bees and the beekeeper.


----------



## MonkeyMcBean (Mar 1, 2017)

Riverderwent said:


> I've made four bee vacs. The one I use now has screened drawers that slide in and out of the box. It's not unusual for me to do multiple cutouts in a day, sometimes even multiple colonies at one location. So I have three sliding drawers.
> 
> I use a motor that was recommended by our vacuum repairman and that I ordered off the internet. It is quiet and powerful. I use both a router speed controller from HF and a valve (a piece of wood that adjusts over a hole in the box) to control the vacuum pressure. The current model is the hands down favorite of both the bees and the beekeeper.


That sounds pretty awesome. Was it easy to wire the speed controller? I was unaware vacuum motors were still effective at slower speeds.


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

Oh man ...there are SO MANY DIY contraptions out there. So funny. But this one seemed to be the one that caught my eye. I especially like how the bees self load in to the new home. When I catch a swarm, esoecially if it is my own swarm, I usually lock them up for 48hours with a feeding shim and They have always stayed put. I like this design...THANKS


RedHalo said:


> I made this one last night and used this morning. Very, very good! Highly recommend!
> https://youtu.be/cVcb35K1hr8


----------



## johnwratcliff (Feb 24, 2015)

I have two different ones. This video has a cheap and easy bee vac design that is light weight. I love it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWA49Oy5Skw&sns=em


----------



## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

MonkeyMcBean said:


> Was it easy to wire the speed controller? I was unaware vacuum motors were still effective at slower speeds.


The vac just plugs into the controller and the controller plugs into the wall. The vac works well at low speed settings.


----------



## RedHalo (Apr 24, 2016)

BeeBad said:


> Oh man ...there are SO MANY DIY contraptions out there. So funny. But this one seemed to be the one that caught my eye. I especially like how the bees self load in to the new home. When I catch a swarm, esoecially if it is my own swarm, I usually lock them up for 48hours with a feeding shim and They have always stayed put. I like this design...THANKS


 The only thing I wish was that I could slide the screen out to let the bees up. Today I caught the queen, kept her in a clip and the bees in the box were pissed! When I pulled the top and added the brood and queen they went nuts! Will refine that so that I can pull the screen out with the brood box on top.


----------



## MonkeyMcBean (Mar 1, 2017)

RedHalo said:


> I made this one last night and used this morning. Very, very good! Highly recommend!
> https://youtu.be/cVcb35K1hr8


This looks pretty awesome. That guy has to be wearing a toupee. Nobody has that haircut!


----------



## RedHalo (Apr 24, 2016)

MonkeyMcBean said:


> This looks pretty awesome. That guy has to be wearing a toupee. Nobody has that haircut!


Thought the same thing on the rug. Dude could just have a full head of hair! Do like his delivery though.


----------



## JConnolly (Feb 21, 2015)

Did you see the plans for one that are in the build it yourself section of this forum?

http://beesource.com/build-it-yourself/bee-vac/


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

wow, with all the diagrams and photos, I still couldn't picture this thing....I have to look harder....I keep forgetting about all the DIY stuff in that section-thanks...The RED HALO link so far seems the easiest to make. man there are so many DIY versions out there...


JConnolly said:


> Did you see the plans for one that are in the build it yourself section of this forum?
> 
> http://beesource.com/build-it-yourself/bee-vac/


----------



## TPalmer (Jun 11, 2012)

Here is one that I built using storage bins and a mattress inflator


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

HOLY SH*T!!! What a contraption!!! Gotta show my wife!!!That is so cool...Humans are smart aren't they!!!!share the plans Einstein, Opps, I apologise!! Mr. Einstein!!!! 


TPalmer said:


> Here is one that I built using storage bins and a mattress inflator


----------



## herbhome (Oct 18, 2015)

Tagging in for further developments!


----------



## Dabbler (Aug 9, 2015)

RedHalo said:


> Thought the same thing on the rug. Dude could just have a full head of hair! Do like his delivery though.


His delivery made me think . . . "Sham-wow !"


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

He is the President of a Bee Keeping Association that he founded in Florida.


Dabbler said:


> His delivery made me think . . . "Sham-wow !"


----------



## Dabbler (Aug 9, 2015)

vdotmatrix said:


> He is the President of a Bee Keeping Association that he founded in Florida.


No slight was intended towards him or the vac design (which I very much like and will probably build).
His delivery just gave me "flashbacks" to classic TV pitchmen.


----------



## texanbelchers (Aug 4, 2014)

Riverderwent said:


> I've made four bee vacs. The one I use now has screened drawers that slide in and out of the box. It's not unusual for me to do multiple cutouts in a day, sometimes even multiple colonies at one location. So I have three sliding drawers.


Pictures please. I'm needing to rework mine which is basically like the video. I have a tendency to be so involved with the work that I don't pay enough attention to the vac. Also, since I only have one, it is easy to let it get overloaded. This leads to dead bees if they aren't attended to quickly.

So, I'm looking for a way to swap boxes or have 2 available without taking too much physical space. I also hate to have specialized equipment, "Unitaskers" as Alton Brown calls them, so the dedicated boxes like the Colorado unit is hard to accept.


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

picutres!!!! I am making one using a NUC box but want to make improvements like a smooth bee side vacuum hose, and so on...


Riverderwent said:


> I've made four bee vacs. The one I use now has screened drawers that slide in and out of the box. It's not unusual for me to do multiple cutouts in a day, sometimes even multiple colonies at one location. So I have three sliding drawers.
> 
> I use a motor that was recommended by our vacuum repairman and that I ordered off the internet. It is quiet and powerful. I use both a router speed controller from HF and a valve (a piece of wood that adjusts over a hole in the box) to control the vacuum pressure. The current model is the hands down favorite of both the bees and the beekeeper.


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

pics???


RedHalo said:


> I made this one last night and used this morning. Very, very good! Highly recommend!
> https://youtu.be/cVcb35K1hr8


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

pictures!!!


rg58612455 said:


> I built the same one 2 years ago. It works great. I use plexi-glass instead of plywood on the top and reinforced the vac port and bleed port with wood blocks.I have used it at least a dozen times with very few dead bees. I use a bee suction hose that has a smooth inside so I don't roll the bees too much. The nice part of this vac is that all the junk that I suck up from a cut out stays in the vac box and the bees move up to cover the brood. just place on a new bottom board, put a lid on them and done.


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

I want to cut one of the go-zillion hive boxes I have in half the way he described in his video on my table saw.

I have a great respect for the table saw and stuff being ejected at 50mph in your general direction.

Do you guys think this is a safe practice or should I just make the boxes anew?


----------



## MonkeyMcBean (Mar 1, 2017)

Keep it firmly against the fence and you should be fine.

This video shows this guy doing it
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vV-7kmLwQ00


----------



## RedHalo (Apr 24, 2016)

vdotmatrix said:


> I want to cut one of the go-zillion hive boxes I have in half the way he described in his video on my table saw.
> 
> I have a great respect for the table saw and stuff being ejected at 50mph in your general direction.
> 
> Do you guys think this is a safe practice or should I just make the boxes anew?


I used a 1x4 for the bottom and a 1x6 for the top.


----------



## MonkeyMcBean (Mar 1, 2017)

RedHalo said:


> I used a 1x4 for the bottom and a 1x6 for the top.


Smart.


----------



## RedHalo (Apr 24, 2016)

MonkeyMcBean said:


> Smart.


I have way more scrap wood than deep boxes


----------



## RedHalo (Apr 24, 2016)

vdotmatrix said:


> pics???


I'll put up some tonight


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

I almost missed the video link....OMG his process for making a hive box was much too detailed and labor intensive. I use the kreg pocket hole jig for cranking out hive boxes.....thank you for sharing this!!!~!


MonkeyMcBean said:


> Keep it firmly against the fence and you should be fine.
> 
> This video shows this guy doing it
> https://youtube.com/watch?v=vV-7kmLwQ00


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

I decided on 1x6 for top and bottom because I am making a bee vac the size of a medium NUC box. I cut rabbet cuts for the top for that flush cut and wanted to use some plexiglass but then cutting that **** would be a hassle. I want to use a smooth bore suction tube for the bottom instead of shop vac hose but attaching it to the box would be problematic and that smooth bore stuff is really really stiff......I may try to use the 2 1/2" standard ( or whatever the size is) shop vac hose for the bottom bee suction side and the small 1 1/4" shop vac hose on the vacuum side. I want a better way to plug the bee side hole other than a lousy rag...can you imagine coming home in the car and the rag comes out?


RedHalo said:


> I used a 1x4 for the bottom and a 1x6 for the top.


----------



## RedHalo (Apr 24, 2016)

vdotmatrix said:


> I decided on 1x6 for top and bottom because I am making a bee vac the size of a medium NUC box.


 The one I vac'd out Sunday would have filled a NUC in no time. And great idea on a better plug. I didn't have a rag so I used paper towels, which was way less than ideal. Good news is I have a campershell on my truck. I did keep having these horrible visions of the box falling apart while carrying it though. The swarm that came into a trap I have made from a deep couldn't fit in it. Had to add another deep and knock bees into it.


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

I am thinking portable that I can fashion a shoulder strap and also climb a ladder with to suck up some beees. The 5 gallon bucket will be close... I am sorta re-thinking that I maybe should have made a medium box size.....I am still at a point where I can change....OKAY design change..


RedHalo said:


> The one I vac'd out Sunday would have filled a NUC in no time. And great idea on a better plug. I didn't have a rag so I used paper towels, which was way less than ideal. Good news is I have a campershell on my truck. I did keep having these horrible visions of the box falling apart while carrying it though. The swarm that came into a trap I have made from a deep couldn't fit in it. Had to add another deep and knock bees into it.


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

So are you just cramming the hoses in the holes and are held in by friction?


----------



## RedHalo (Apr 24, 2016)

BeeBad said:


> So are you just cramming the hoses in the holes and are held in by friction?


Me? I couldn't find a hole saw the size of the hose, so I got slightly larger and wrapped the end of the hose in Gorilla Tape. Had to put a little pressure and it went on great, sealed well and didn't move.


----------



## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

Am not sure if it can be done any cheaper. You need:
five-gallon bucket
1.5 horse stanley shop vac (just the right amount of suction)
screen trash can from Target or Bed Bath and Beyond 
The yellow thing on the bottom is called a Shop Vac Drain hero
Need some pop-rivets or screws to fasten the trash can inside the bucket.
Glue or screw the drain hero on. 
The big hose fits perfect in a standard 2.25 inch hole.
The drain hero can use either the large or small size hose.


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

Yeah I was about to ask how you attached the hoses securely. I have cut all the wood. Decided to go with 1x6 mediums. Still trying to figure out the hose thing...


RedHalo said:


> Me? I couldn't find a hole saw the size of the hose, so I got slightly larger and wrapped the end of the hose in Gorilla Tape. Had to put a little pressure and it went on great, sealed well and didn't move.


----------



## RedHalo (Apr 24, 2016)

vdotmatrix said:


> Yeah I was about to ask how you attached the hoses securely. I have cut all the wood. Decided to go with 1x6 mediums. Still trying to figure out the hose thing...


I decided to spend the money and buy this hose. Glad I did! It's heavy, so I'll be fashioning a bracket to clamp it hose to on the ladder so I'm not supporting the 8-9 ft of hose While vac'ing bees out of a ceiling again. 
https://m.lowes.com/pd/Shop-Vac-12-ft-x-1-1-2-in-Premium-Crush-Resistant-Hose/1042233


----------



## rg58612455 (Jun 15, 2015)

vdotmatrix said:


> Yeah I was about to ask how you attached the hoses securely. I have cut all the wood. Decided to go with 1x6 mediums. Still trying to figure out the hose thing...


I bought a black iron floor flange, a black iron plug the same thread, and a barbed hose adapter, the same size as my bee suction hose. When I remove the hose, I thread in the plug. I will try to get some pics of my setup.


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

8-9 ft of hose 1.5" hose....So I see it came with a lot of adapters and such to glue or attach to the box. I have my BIG shop vac with the 2.5" hose and my small shop vac with the small hose. I have an extra large diameter hose that I wanted to use as the BEE suction hose and the small diameter hose connected to the small shop vac. This could also mitigate vacuum trauma during extraction....I want to find the fitting found ON the large shop vac and put one on the box so I can screw the hose securely to it. If I could find the same female hose end I would fashion some screen over that so when I was through vacuuming bees I could unscrew the hose and screw in the screened hose end. that way, with the top removed I could have convection cooling going on. gonna check craigs list and free cycle for free stuff.


RedHalo said:


> I decided to spend the money and buy this hose. Glad I did! It's heavy, so I'll be fashioning a bracket to clamp it hose to on the ladder so I'm not supporting the 8-9 ft of hose While vac'ing bees out of a ceiling again.
> https://m.lowes.com/pd/Shop-Vac-12-ft-x-1-1-2-in-Premium-Crush-Resistant-Hose/1042233


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

HAHAHAHA!!! lookie what I found: https://washingtondc.craigslist.org...weight down.....I need that male screw part. 


RedHalo said:


> I decided to spend the money and buy this hose. Glad I did! It's heavy, so I'll be fashioning a bracket to clamp it hose to on the ladder so I'm not supporting the 8-9 ft of hose While vac'ing bees out of a ceiling again.
> https://m.lowes.com/pd/Shop-Vac-12-ft-x-1-1-2-in-Premium-Crush-Resistant-Hose/1042233


----------



## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

Things get a wee bit crowded when you got two guys and a bee vac way up high. It's good to have a way to attach everything outside the bucket.


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

Sorry Aunt B, I didnt mean to ignore you.....I like working with wood....you have a nice design with the bucket!!!


aunt betty said:


> Things get a wee bit crowded when you got two guys and a bee vac way up high. It's good to have a way to attach everything outside the bucket.
> View attachment 31892


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

rg58612455 said:


> View attachment 31888
> 
> 
> I bought a black iron floor flange, a black I M n plug the same thread, and a barbed hose adapter, the same size as my bee suction hose. When I remove the hose, I thread in the plug. I will try to get some pics of my setup.
> View attachment 31887


I m concerned about extraction trauma and a small diameter hose.


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

I finished this contraption this afternoon amd I am happy with it except I found an 8-frame medium carrier that I made last year when I sold 8-frame NUCs from reverse splits on my snelgrove board, makes this thing twice as heavy. I will put the clips on tomorrow instead. I was able to fashion a screened plug ( instead of the rag) for when I remove the 2.4" hose; the screened thing I made is sitting on the top and it just screws into where the hose was...this way there is fresh air coming in from the bottom and out through the top; it is actually the other end of the hose that screws into the shop vac with screen in it and a 1.5" section of vac hose that I cut off to keep the screen in there.....I made this box with the KREG pocket hole jig....


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

One thing I don't like is that this stack is completely dependent on the strap. I am looking to attach some latches.
View attachment 31934


----------



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

I addressed the issue of relying on a strap to keep the unit from accidentally coming apart and liberating 20,000 bees in your car. I used a toggle latch I bought on Amazon and the strap is backup. I used a hose adapter kit from Lowes for hoses and i made a screw in screen to secure the bees instead of using a rag in the hole....this was a huge swarm and i estimated about 40-50 dead bees on the bottom of the VACBOX. I think this is a very nice contraption. I have the hive and everything ready for installation tommorow, but I am just going to dump the bees in the hive box....i think.


----------



## RedHalo (Apr 24, 2016)

vdotmatrix said:


> View attachment 32173
> View attachment 32174
> View attachment 32175
> View attachment 32176
> ...


Very nice!


----------

