# swarm catching net plans ?



## cblakely (Sep 6, 2013)

How about a paint roller handle? It would have the threads to match the pole.


----------



## puppy (Dec 26, 2010)

Agree, am thinking something with maybe a spring opening and a pull cord to close it. Still how do I attach it to a pole. A paint handle is a good start


----------



## cblakely (Sep 6, 2013)

You can cut off the hook ends and if you have access to a welder; tack it to the hoop. ...Or you can ******* it and use duct tape.


----------



## jrbbees (Apr 4, 2010)

Look for sales on painting poles.(L & HD) The are fibreglass. (Important around power lines) and can extend to long lengths. I caught a end of season clearance at a HD and got a 21 footer for $7 three years ago).


----------



## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

I built one exactly like this one two years ago and posted pics here someplace. 
This catcher is built pretty stout to "knock off" the swarm from where they are located. A net system would have to be built pretty tough (heavy) to be able to do the same, plus handle the weight of the bees. A sweeping action with a net will most likely kill a lot of bees possibly including the queen.


----------



## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

This was my first idea. problem i it is made to fit the end of the unger pole.
http://www.ungercleaning.com/p-956-universal-adapter.aspx


----------



## puppy (Dec 26, 2010)

Daniel Y said:


> This was my first idea. problem i it is made to fit the end of the unger pole.
> http://www.ungercleaning.com/p-956-universal-adapter.aspx


thats an idea. the fitting I think i am looking for is the one on the previous video about using a water jug.
found plans for a catcher net but it had a inside cone with a open bottom and i agree it may kill a lot of bees and how in the world does one get them out.
the water jug make a lot more sense.


----------



## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

Here's another idea I copied from Honey-Sun Apiaries. The bucket swivels so you don't have to worry about the bees dumping out on the way down. It's very easy to make.

http://honeysunapiary.wordpress.com/tech-tools/swarm-catching-bucket/


----------



## puppy (Dec 26, 2010)

I like it


----------



## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

I use my Bushkill vac with multiple shop vac extensions pipes and can get up 20' and maybe more.


----------



## Charlie B (May 20, 2011)

odfrank said:


> I use my Bushkill vac with multiple shop vac extensions pipes and can get up 20' and maybe more.


That's nice but you're not always near electricity unless you have multiple extension cords too.
You may need a flatbed to haul all the extension pipes and cords with you to catch a 3 pound swarm!


----------



## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

Charlie B said:


> That's nice but you're not always near electricity unless you have multiple extension cords too.
> You may need a flatbed to haul all the extension pipes and cords with you to catch a 3 pound swarm!


Charlie you know that I am a suburban beekeeper and am usually within 100 lf of an electrical outlet. A shop vac extension pipe weighs how much? one pound? I admit that a 100' extension cord is a back breaker for an old man like me. After 40 years of messy swarm catches I really enjoy the neatness of a Bushkill vac swarm catch over a shake catch. Yes, more hardware to haul to the site but all the bees are in one trip already hived in their box with few flying around loose. I don't do ladders so those extensions let me catch a bunch of swarms this year from high up or all tangled in bushes that would have been a lot harder without it. Two were over 15' up, one about six feet over in the top of an impenetrable juniper, two tangled in an orange tree, two tangled in blue Atlas Cedar trees. Not to mention the cutouts. I can't speak too highly about Bushkill vacs. And the queen survival rate is excellent.


----------



## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

I took a old Wooster roller frame cut it off a inch back from where the metal goes into the plastic. Drill a hole in a five. Made a over size wood washer. Hole saw. Used a lag screw to put it together. It helps that I am a painting contractor. 
David


----------



## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Bee vacs really do provide an excellent way to capture difficult swarms. I had a swarm removal in a tree at the entrance of a restaurant while it was open. It would have been a total mess to shake that swarm as you can imagine. Took a whole 20 minutes to vac and secured about 98% of the bees. The ones that were flying about got sucked up, once I affixed the hose in the tree. Meanwhile I was enjoying a complimentary iced tea.
Swarms on a building, car, fence, etc. is also a good reason to use a vac.

The bucket idea has it's place I imagine... just not in my arsenal. I use the angle feature on my bucket so I'm not standing directly UNDER the swarm when I use it. Once in the bucket, a simple 180 degree turn over the hive set up dumps the bees.


----------



## bbbthingmaker (Sep 26, 2010)

Cut the top rim from a five gallon bucket. Fasten a five gallon nylon paint strainer to it . Attach it to a pole with bolts or screws. Mine is ready, but I haven't used it yet.


----------

