# Bucket head Bee VAc



## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

I made a bucket vac which works fine. I mounted an old vac head on the lid, added a ball valve to adjust suction, plumbed a hose into the lid. You might consider a chlorine or other threaded bucket, easier to open , you can also buy a threaded bucket adapter. I have matching buckets if I ever have to vac up a gigantic swarm or multiple ones in ones in a day. I made a matching screened lid to change too when finished and placed a piece of foam in the bottom of the bucket to cushion the bees fall.


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

Hi Poker,

You can do it! (more or less) I took that bucket vac (actually from Lowes, also $20), used a hacksaw and cut the float mechanism off the bottom that prevents water from entering the vac, built a design like "RoboVac", and cut the upper 2 inches off of a 5 gallon bucket and used this "rim" to mount the vac on the top, and added a mounted a piece of sheet metal over a 2" hole in the box to act as a manually adjustable velocity regulator. 

I use a smaller diameter "pool vac" hose, keeping it straight and shaking it occasionally. I can use a deep or medium super with 6-8 frames in the "sandwitch" of the Robovac depending on the anticipated volume of the bees from a swarm or cutout. Use two ratchet straps in both directions with a hook and you can take it up a ladder. With 20 ft. of hose you can put it on the ground. 

Be sure to install the deflection ramp in the lower portion of the Robovac to move the bees upward. No dead bees. Works great as long as you have power available.

It's 62 degrees, got to go and continue my Spring inspection of the girls.

Goog luck to you!

Regards,
Bear Creek Steve


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## Buffalolick (Jan 26, 2010)

I used a bucket head vac to make an Owens style bee vac. Works great. I made a couple of cages to swap back and forth. Doing it over I might make the clearance between cage and inside the vac a little larger as the suction is almost too low.


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## jrbbees (Apr 4, 2010)

the spines from bees legs can get caught in some foam. Try wadded news paper.


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## pokerman11 (Feb 9, 2009)

I just got my vac head. Drove by a HD so ended up with the HD brand.

Anyway - looking at this, as I said I want somthing that goes up the ladder with me, so going to use a standard 5 gal bucket and will cut a hole in bucket (near the top) and will mount in my 2" hose. Then duct tape the existing inlet hole - the amount of duct tape over the inlet will allow me to adjust suction.


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## libhart (Apr 22, 2010)

Suggestion for you other than ductape, which will probably give out just when you need it. Cut a nice round flat piece from the side of a gallon milk jug that'll cover the hole. Use a single small wood screw and mount the milk jug plastic next to the hole in the vac. Swivel this over the hole and cover as much of it as needed to get the right suction.


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## Grant (Jun 12, 2004)

I used a vacuum on the same idea: fits on a bucket. My hose from the vac is 1-1/4" and the motor is not sufficient to suck bees very well. I inserted a 1" hose into the hose from the vac and it works great. 2" for me would be way too large--not enough suction.

I just vacuum the bees into the bucket, then replace the vac motor with a screened lid.

Grant
Jackson, MO


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## pokerman11 (Feb 9, 2009)

I would worry that a 1" hose would be too small and damage too many bees.

The standard with this HD bucket vac is a 1 1/4" hose but I was thinking that was too smal and it makes a hard 90 degree turn. I think that too many bees would be killed in the suction part. That's why I was going to go with a 1 1/2 (pool hose) or even 2" hose that goes right into the bucket and does not have that hard 90 degree turn.


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## NCA (Feb 27, 2011)

i used this bucket vac a few weeks ago and made a bucket of bee soup you have to modify the design by mounting the hose on the bottom part of the bucket the top mount kills them when they make the 90 degree turn.


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## Batman (Jun 7, 2009)

I have this set up and have not had any problems with it. I put a light dimmer switch on an extension cord so that I can control the speed of the motor directly. Go to the bees, start the vacuum on the lowest setting then dial it up until it just barely starts to suck up a couple of bees at a time. Gotta say it works great.

C2


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## nortpete (Aug 10, 2010)

Did you move the hose down on the side of the bucket, or did you keep the hose up on the vac head so the bees have to make the 90 degree turn?


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## NCA (Feb 27, 2011)

how do you guys test your bee-vacs without accidentally killing bees. is there something you could substitute for the bees


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## Jackobeeo (Jan 11, 2010)

NCA

I'd use Batman's solution, 2 posts up - inline dimmer switch. 

Also an increase in hose size slows down the velocity.
Last year I had yellowjackets in spades so now I setup my 5hp shop vac with a 3/4" hose through a special adapter.
Setup an old alarm clock ringer at the exit - looking to ring in the season in style!

*DING-DING-DING*...

30

Jack


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## ErnieB (May 10, 2006)

My vac was designed to be easy to carry up a ladder and to be able to transport and temporarily hold a swarm. It is light weight (about 15 pounds) and sturdy. It can use a standard shopvac hose or a clear, smooth vinyl hose (this is the one I prefer). The hose cost me $16. The rest of the components were found around my shop.


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## Batman (Jun 7, 2009)

ErnieB said:


> It is light weight (about 15 pounds) and sturdy.


Ernie

I like your design, it looks good, but the weight and bulkiness to me are the issue. Having an extra 15# in the air, say on a less than idle branch, that maybe one shouldn't be out on in the first place, and yes, there are people that will go there, 15# is a lot of weight to be playing with. I think the 5 gal bucket with the bucket head on it might way 3#? With a hook or strap can be mounted on the branch, the ladder or even to you without throwin your balance off as much as 15# would. But at ground level? I'd love to have your device with me, especially with the plexiglass so you can see them, it's an observation beevac, that's cool! After you get the bees swooped up, you can show the people that called you the bees up close but make them feel safe from them at the same time! WAY COOL!:thumbsup::applause:

The clear smooth tube is a must though.

JMTC,
C2


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## Adrian Quiney WI (Sep 14, 2007)

Just throwing in an idea. I had some success attaching a mesh laundry hamper to a pole to reach some swarms on trees. An innovative person could probably attach a hose to the hamper instead. The beauty of the mesh laundry hamper is that it is fairly cheap, $10-15 or your better half might not notice its missing . Also it is has quite a large capacity at least 10, maybe 15 gallons.


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## ErnieB (May 10, 2006)

Batman,
Note the cable across the top--it is for tying the beevac to the rung of a ladder (or a branch).


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## trainwrecker (May 23, 2010)

ernie b, where is the best place to find the clear smooth hose. i have had no luck.


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## Batman (Jun 7, 2009)

Trainwrecker, I got mine at a local hardware store. Home Depot and Lowe's should have it too.

C2


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## angryhippie (Mar 11, 2010)

would one of you be willing to post pictures of your design. I also bought one of those bucket vacs and would like to see how other people have designed theirs. I am a visual person.


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## reneal (Sep 6, 2006)

I built a bucket bee vac, but used a different approach. I mounted the vacuum motor on the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket. Then I took a second bucket with a lid & cut out a big hole on the bucket bottom & covered it with screen. Take the lid & attach your hose. The second bucket will nest inside the first and seal tight enough to vacuum bees nicely. When you've got the bees in your bucket, just plug the hose with a wad of paper & pull it out of the vacuum bucket. There's been a couple of suggestions here for ways to adjust the suction. I made two collection buckets in case I get more bees than will reasonably fit into one bucket.


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

Angryhippi,

The bucketvac that I described in post #3 above is a variation of: http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/beekeeping/bee-vac/ Take a look, plus all of the following comments.

The beauty of this model is that the bees are pulled/stored into a standard 10 frame Langstroth super (or several stacked supers) with several frames removed. This is all straped together with a ratchet strap of course. Then you put it in your car/truck, take it to your apiary, unstrap, put the super on a bottom board, add missing frames, put on the inner/outer cover, and you are done. I've used it and it works great. If you are capturing a swarm you must have extra woodenware available anyway.

Regards,
Steve


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## pokerman11 (Feb 9, 2009)

As I said for me I need somthing that goes up the ladder with me. I've had a few swarm calls in trees, and the homeowner did not want me to cut limbs - so collection was difficult.

Anyway, I don't have a pic but I did buy the bucket vac from both HD and lowes. I took the HD one back as the lowes is better for this application. It's vacuum entrance hole is perfect for a 2" hose, and does not do a hard turn. The stock hose will not work for collection, but I had a 2" hose from a really old shopvac. The old hose fit without any modifications.

I've cut a 2" hole in the side of my collection bucket and have a trap door system much like you will see in pic #4 of the link beer creek steve posted. That hole is tol allow me to adjust suction. Other than that no mods. After collection will just stuff a rag in the hole and then transfer the bees to a box when I get back to the farm. I got about 200 feet of extention cord handy and no just waiting for my first swarm call.


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## RobWok (May 18, 2011)

I built the old standby bee vac - box within a box with sliding bottom. I've performed several extractions with this box, and it's worked well. I put rings on it, and borrowed the strap from my weedeater. I climb the ladder, then hook the strap to a rung on the ladder and the bee vac just hangs. 

However, i'm not thrilled with the weight or cumbersome shape of the unit. I am thinking of building a 5 gallon bucket version, would like to find a backpack vaccum with a battery. I've seen the Ryobi blower and was thinking of converting that.

Also, I came across a swarm on a limb that was 30 feet up. I thought it would have been great to use sections of pvc to get to that height, and then suck them down, but wasn't sure if the trip would be deadly.


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## Solarbeez (Apr 20, 2012)

Batman said:


> I have this set up and have not had any problems with it. I put a light dimmer switch on an extension cord so that I can control the speed of the motor directly. Go to the bees, start the vacuum on the lowest setting then dial it up until it just barely starts to suck up a couple of bees at a time. Gotta say it works great.
> 
> C2


I gotta agree, C2. The dimmer switch worked well for me on my very first time of sucking up some bees, even though the bees take a sharp 90 degree turn into the bucket, no dead bees! Thanks for the idea.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

I made one light enough to go up a ladder with, heck even my 8 yr old helper can lug it around



The details can be seen here http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?308574-My-new-beevac


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