I made this bee vac a year ago. I got to use it on a cut out yesterday and it worked like a champ. It in big and bulky but you have the bees where you want them when it is all done. Remember, don't shut off the vac in the middle of the job or the bees will walk out. Gaps between sections on the vac are easily remedied with tape. Thanks Mr. Ed for helping me catch bees in the 49th state!
Mr. Ed. I just have to say you did an excellent job with this video. You are a terrific instructor. You did a great job of explaining all of the parts and how the vacuum works. This is one of my favorites so far. Thank you sir!!! 👍👍
Thank you very much, but with over 580 to watch, your opinion on this one being your favorite may change....at least it's a possibility. Keep watching, I'll be making more. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed
This has to be the best idea and way of getting bees without introducing the bad parts most people overlook. Thank you Mr. ED for this design. I will be making me one this week. You are really on the ball with your methods and logical thinking for us all on RUclips to stay current and on top of the beekeeping world. I thank you from the bottom of my heart Sir. Peace and God bless you too. vf
The design is not mine, I copied it off a RUclips video years ago. Let me know how the build goes. Thank you for your blessings, kind words, and for taking the time to watch my bee wrangling adventures, it is greatly appreciated. God's peace Vic. Mr. Ed
Thank you Mr. Ed! I been wondering about how to make one of these. Really great video, you took the time to explain it right. Thanks again and hope God protects you and yours and including all the Lil ladies you rescue especially thru all this bad weather you all have been having. Your in my prayers, God bless.
Thank you for the prayers Jack, I'm always looking for that. I'm happy to provide the info and I hope it helps in your construct. Let me know how yours turns out. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed
I was just telling my hubby about your bee vac the other day, trying to explain how you made it (without seeing this video) now he can watch this and maybe for my birthday, he could make me one. Thank you for your great videos
This is the video that first got me into watching your other videos. About a year ago I was searching for a way to make a good bee vac as it’s not common here in Wisconsin and Minnesota. I made it and it works great. Thank you
I'm happy to supply a bit of good info, and I'm delighted to hear it helped you out. Thanks for your dedication to my channel. God's peace Carl. Mr. Ed
Of all the bee vac designs out there, I chose to make this one. A very humane way, with little trauma to the bees transferring from vac to hive box. I was unable to find a vacuum motor like yours, so I improvised by using a Home Depot Bucket Head vacuum. To allow for the long length of the filter, I cut the top 5-6 inches off of another 5 gallon bucket and screwed/caulked it to an opening on the top of the bee vac. Now the motor snaps on and off just like on a regular 5 gallon bucket. I've had the opportunity to use it twice, and though rather bulky in size, it works exceptionally well. Thank you for your design info and "Keep on making more"!
Jeff you could make your dividing screen 1/2-3/4" thicker, then the track groove could be made about 5/16" - wide enough that you could frame the outside of your hardware cloth with a 1" wide strip of 1/8" plywood on both sides of your hardware cloth making the hardware cloth rigid so it would be easier to slide in and out.....much like a furnace filter only thinner just a thought thanks for the great video as always
That is a GREAT idea.The problem I have is the cloth will fray making it harder and harder to put in the track. Your idea eliminates that issue. Great fix, thank you. It's been a while since I've seen your name in the comments, I'm glad you chimed in on this on. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed
My screen separator is large enough (like a T-cover) to lock over the edge. Instead of the screen sliding I have a 4" strip of thin plywood on one end I can remove. Also I have two so I can also cover the comb super and leave it open to collect the strays. Close it up after dark and go. They Lock together all the boxes for safe traveling ( I have a van).
yeah its been a while, past month has been hectic with the move and all, but Im getting all settled in and about to get my bear fence up so I can get back into bee keeping, between you and dirtrooster you guys really got me motivated lol love the videos Jeff, thank you for them!
Not yet ready to vacuum bees still taking classes through local bee club and plan to set up my 1st hive come spring. you keep me inspired Thank you for the great vids
Keep at it David, you will be wrangling bees before you know it. Then, you will be wanting and needing a be vac. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Hey there mr Ed. The closing slide door that you are having trouble finding is a BLAST GATE. used for built in home vacuum systems. They are like five dollars on Amazon.
Thank you for the info, and for watching. I hope you will check out a few more of my videos on my channel and let me know what you think of them. God's peace. Mr. Ed
I’m not a bee keeper, I’m just interested in your wrangling bees, with good time Charlie and your other friends….. I’m always interested in learning new things… I love how you praise Jesus with each queen catch…
I saw some bottle to bottle bee keeping & I don't think these people have the bees best interest at heart. Caring bee keeping happens when people like you show how you Really care & actually take care of them properly; addressing thier needs & not just taking the honey & run. God Bless You 🙏 for ALL of your educational Bee Love Mr. Ed!
I'm enjoying watching your videos. This is my third summer with bees and I have 2 colonies in my garden in Scotland. Earlier this year I met a pest controller and we got chatting about bees and wasps. He has passed on a couple of bee swarms this year and my new group has collected quite a few over this summer. I was commenting only the other week that we might need a new vac and now I have your design! So far the be swarms in buildings have left so we have not needed one. However we have collected 2 swarms from a wild hive in a tree that's too close to houses. A winter project will be building equipment to get them out and now I might try the new vac too! God bless you for all the work you do and helping / inspiring your viewers!
I'm delighted to share the little I know about the many aspects of bee keeping, and I am truly impressed on your desire to save this amazing creature, keep up your good works. Thank you for your blessings and for watching. God's peace Mark. Mr. Ed
Lol. I keep asking you questions, then run across the answer in one of your videos shortly thereafter. But you're kind and patient and keep answering my questions anyway. Thank you. I'll keep watching!
It's my pleasure to reply to the comments, It's the least I could do for the honor you have given me to watch and comment on one of my videos. Looking forward to hearing from you again. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Mr. Ed nice video on your Bee vac I would never get it's right on your as well, I love your concept for bees awesome job, Thank for doing this video. God bless until you!
thanks ED! I made one using your design and it worked great! I need to work on the screen as i do not have a table saw to create a groove /track for the screen to run on and be removed... will get that resolved. It worked great! One change i made was in the vacuum control, I used a metal vent disc. Easy to mount, less moving parts and took up less space.
Because bees can crawl through such a tiny space, the curf a table saw makes, is the perfect amount of room that bees can't crawl through it. Great modification, I alway say use what works. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Having watched many ways to make Bee Vacs ... I would say to my mind this is the best design ,,, Very well thought out ... The detail of the explanation of the design Is perfect ... Easy to follow ... i would say its basic woodwork ... So should be within the reach of most men or women with a few tools .. Thank you ... For being a great teacher ... Not only on Bee Vacs ... But on all round Bee keeping ... Your Videos are well worth watching ...
Thank you for showing how you built your vac. You are so kind to do that. I'm going to start some new 1st time hives in the spring. Found my first hive about a month ago only problem is that it's about 30 feet in the tree. Hope I can get them in a box. Take care and be safe.
You are the one who needs to be safe, 30 feet in the air. If it were me, that's where they'd stay. I wish you the best in your future endeavors at bee wrangling and bee keeping. It's a great hobby. Let me know how you progress. God's peace. Mr. Ed
You are indeed a good teacher!! Awesome video. The explanation was thorough, you gave your reasons for doing it this way, the advantages, some degree of explanation of other options available, the parts of the kit you chose and why. Gives people a great advantage in starting with a lot of knowledge on how to do it. Thank you for sharing it Mr. Ed. Regards, Julie
A great video. I have my design very similar only that i use a shop vac so only the hose goes into the top. I also use a sealed mesh frame ontop of the brood body. I like the idea of it being able to be removed without having to move the frame as i have to lift the screen off mine. so something i will adapt after this video. The bas is similar but again hose just pushes into a hole and there is a camed piece of timber to cover after hose removed.. Cheers Edd
If it vacuums bees with minimal killing, it's a bee vac. There are so many designs, and all work to some degree, some just preform better. I'm glad the video gave you inspiration to improve, I'm happy to contribute. Thanks for watching, and I hope you keep me posted on your advancements. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed
That pressure regulator is brilliant. Now I understand how you manage to vacuum for hours and have such great results - the bees are transferred, a little feisty - but few if any fatalities. Great job!
This is a great video. You do a great job of explaining the design and the factors that guide it and you explain the complicated features well without getting bogged down in the construction. I only know you from when your wonderful smile brightens up that grumpy old Rooster's videos but I'll have to come check you out more.
I have kept bee's for three years now and have just realised I am gonna need a bloody workshop for all these gadgets I need! Best damn hobby I ever took up tho, very consuming and very rewarding and a complete life changer. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge Jeff! I'm off to deconstruct my house vac ha ha
You sound like me when I first started wrangling, and I have to say, I've gotten worst. I'm convinced bee keeping is an addiction......I think it's because of the honey. Thanks for watching, and I wish you all the best in your endeavors. It may be advisable NOT to tell the missus what you are using her vacuum for. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed
That seems like a lot of work. But it may well be kinder on the bees and that should reflect in less losses. Thanks so much for a well presented video.
If removing bees is in your future, a bee vac is going to be your favorite tool. Weather you use a bee vac or not, removing bees is stressful to them and there will be losses. However, the number of bees lost in the bee vac is very small. Glad you enjoyed the video, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling videos and let me know what you think of them as well. God's peace Bob. Mr. Ed
Mr. Ed, after watching several of your vids where you vacuum up the bees i have been very curious about how they survive the whole thing. the slanted floor and of course the size of it all makes sense now. thanks for showing us how it's done!
The bee vac is a must if you plan on removing bee from structures. It's special design of low vacuum does little harm to the bees, and they can bee easily transferred once the removal is complete. Thanks for watching. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed
Jeff, I have done woodworking since I was a kid hanging out with with my dad down in his little shop in the cellar. Have you ever considered building something similar to a kid's wagon with the various components being modular so that you can move it around easily while in the apiary. And since it is modules, when moving from one yard to another you don't need to move one heavy apparatus, and you can take whichever modules are needed. May the Lord our God bless you, your family, and of course your bee's.
Thank you for your blessing Kevin, it is greatly appreciated. Our operation has gotten so large that a wagon is too small, I use the pick up truck and have everything in it that I need. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed
I've been wondering how that setup worked! Maybe a couple screws to hold down the screen board and avoid an accidental spill? Or, some short bungees from the screen board to the bottom ramped frame? Love your videos! Keep up the good work! You really help out us novice beekeepers!
I wanted to help a friend to get a well established hive out of a timber framed wall of a cottage, and attempted to use a trap-out. But the bees were determined to keep finding ways to get back into the wall despite all attempts to block them. It seems that bees have been living in this wall for almost twenty years, and they were not at all interested in being moved. I decided that this situation provided the necessary incentive to build a bee-vacuum. I had previously had some thoughts to build a bee-vacuum, and have seen a variety of ideas put into action by various RUclips contributors. The design of your bee vacuum seems to be the best of those that I have seen. An old maxim says that “necessity is the mother of invention”, and I recognised several areas where I wanted to provide additional functionality, which I describe below: Firstly, I wanted to have a design that did not allow for the possibility of the bee-vacuum boxes becoming dislodged from each other at any stage from the initial catching of the bees, to the transportation of the unit to the new location for the hive, through to the introduction of the bees back into the salvaged brood comb. Next, I wanted to have a method of controlling the intensity of the suction force from the vacuum cleaner motor, with a special emphasis on providing fine control between too much suction, and not enough. I realise that a flap valve of some kind can achieve a satisfactory result, but I had another idea in mind. Another thing concerns the use of the woven wire mesh to keep the bees in the catch box, and away from the vacuum motor. This is indeed functional, but you showed that it is not easy to get the mesh positioned in the groove of the divider board which is located between the catch box and the vacuum motor. I completed the construction of my bee vacuum just a few days ago, incorporating my enhancements which took into account the various concerns I have just listed. Two days ago I used my machine to capture the bees from that wall. At the start of the exercise, to capture the bees, very many of the bees were very agitated and angry. Perhaps these were the guard bees which had been on sentry duty. As more and more bees were collected from the honeycomb in the wall, things became more placid - perhaps these were the bees which had never yet been out of the hive. Yesterday my friend told of the pleasure of seeing those bees being very peaceful in their new hive, some twenty kilometres away from their previous location. The following paragraphs describe the features I have included in my bee vacuum machine: I have not relied on straps or cords to tie the boxes together, but have instead used threaded steel rods of appropriate length to clamp the top-most box (on which the vacuum motor is placed) to the base into which the vacuum hose is attached. There are four brackets (which have threads cut in them) attached to the corners of the base, for the threaded rods to screw into them. There are four corresponding brackets attached to the top-most box, for the threaded rods to pass through. I actually used plain steel rod (about 6mm or quarter of an inch diameter) with about 25mm or one inch of thread cut at the bottom end. I shaped the top end of each of these rods like crank handles, so that it is very easy to screw them into the bottom brackets, to clamp everything as tightly as necessary. The control of the suction force is very important, in my opinion. I have used the motor from a wet-or-dry vacuum cleaner, in which the motor can be lifted from the bucket-like base of the vacuum cleaner. The real bonus for me is the fact that this motor has a variable-speed control, which enables the motor to slow down very much so that it produces only very gentle suction. There is a second bonus associated to this, namely that when it is operating at low speed to produce the right amount of suction, it is also very much more quiet. It is not screaming away at full speed, and therefore provides a much more peaceful environment in which to work, and also offers the possibility of a much greater life expectancy of the motor, as well as the motor running cooler. For anyone who is purchasing a vacuum motor specifically intended for a bee-vacuum, I believe that the speed control device is invaluable. For anyone who is using a vacuum cleaner which does not have a speed control, it is possible to purchase such a device which could be wired into the electricity supply cord into the vacuum cleaner. I would hasten to add that anyone who follows this approach must realise that this should only be attempted by someone who has the required electrical understanding and skill. After all, and old saying I heard many years ago still applies: “Electricity is a good servant, but a bad master”. Now, concerning the wire mesh between the bee-capture-box and the vacuum motor. I have used a sheet of perforated steel instead of mesh. The material I used is about 0.5mm in thickness, and has holes which are about 2mm in diameter. It allows air to be drawn freely by the vacuum motor, and it slides very easily into the groove. There are actually several more enhancements of a minor nature that I have built into my bee-vacuum, which I could describe if people are interested.
I hope you paused the video, and took a break at some point, that was a LONG video. I really don't like making, much less watching, something over 15 minutes long. Thanks you for enduring. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Hey Mr Ed, just wanted to let you know that I was in PMC tools in Albany today and found the sliding gate where your hose goes into your bee vac. I bought one for mine and I can’t wait to get it installed.
I passed PMC last week, took some bees from a house in Albany. We buy a bunch of stuff from them for our shop, but I never saw the gate that I was looking for. No matter, one of my viewers found the very one I needed, so I've got my back up now. If you are ever in Covington, get in touch with me. It would bee great to meet you and I'll give you a tour of our bee yards. Thanks for your help and for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
God Bless you for trying to explain how to build a box made of wood. You could build a gate from piece of pvc and a slot with a piece to slide to close
I love receiving blessings, it just makes my day, thank you. The whole point of this video is just to explain in detail a very important tool for wrangling bees. I am very glad there is such a positive response to it. Again, thank you for the blessing and watching the video. God's peace. Mr. Ed
I am delighted to share my bee wrangling experiences and knowledge, and I'm honored that you take the time to watch and leave your comment. Until the next time, God's peace. Mr. Ed
Subscriber-Notifier-Liker Here. Thank You, Mr. Ed/Jeff - for the great videos on beekeeping- please keep them up, and may God bless you. We might be able to 3D print that gate... just need to measure up the hoses.....
Thank you so much for your blessing and offer of help Joe, they are greatly appreciated. Shop Vac still makes the gate, I had the link for it, but now the link is no good. I'm sure someone will find it for me in the future. Thanks so much for watching and subbing to my channel. Until the next time, God's peace brother. Mr. Ed
@@JeffHorchoff I will be making up a Bee Vacuum as part of my bee hive 'kit'. I want to learn how to graft bee larvae into queens, too. So much to learn on the path to becoming a beekeeper. But as the meek honey bee goes - so shall we follow. May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields. Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand. And may God bless you, brother Jeff.
That gate came with dust collection kit that was sold at sears or lowe at one time. I used it on the top and bottom of a similar design. Like the videos
I believe you, I found that gate one day cleaning up the tool room and stuck it on the side. Two years later I rediscovered it, and was delighted to see that my hose fit it exactly. That's when it went into my first bee vac. When that vac proved not so successful, I took it off and placed it on the Robo vac. I have looked everywhere for that gate with no success. I hope it never breaks. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Here is the gate I think your using: www.shopvacstore.com/shop-vac-vacuum-gate-for-sawdust-collection-system-details.aspx. and here: www.shop-vacs.com/sawdust-body-gate.html
effectively, I use the pressure regulator but. Even so the bees die. I feel a great regret in my heart, because this time there were many bees that died and I want to find a way to rescue them without harming them. Thanks Mr. Ed.
I wonder, once set, does the regulator remain at the position you wanted or does it move? What diameter hose are you using? Is it ribbed or smooth on the inside? That's about all I can come up with. God's peace. Mr. Ed
@@JeffHorchoff The suction hose is not smooth, it is the common hose that comes with a 2.5-inch diameter vacuum. What brand or type of hose and what diameter do you recommend. Thanks for your help.
Hi Jeff. Most vacuum hoses have an end that fits snugly inside a regular PVC pipe inside diameter. (1-1/4", 2", and 3" being the most common sizes.) You could use a regular piece of PVC pipe for the 'gate'. Just keep a slip-on cap, handy. Maybe hang it from a piece of string beside the pipe? Pull the vacuum hose end out of the pipe, and slap the cap on real quick.
Why not just get a pvc shutoff ball valve and glue it on your pipe first? Plus you will have better vacuum since you have a gap from removing that “gate” in the video
Great, I'm glad I could help. You still may want to do a little more research to see if this type of vac is the right one for you. Thanks for watching, and I hope you continue to do so. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Thanks, this answers my question on merging the bees into the hive. We will be making the removable screen section for our bee vac asap. The rest is basically the same as this. Thanks again, Happy Bee Wranglin :)
Don't forget about the regulator, it's no good to vacuum bees just to kill them. I hope it works well for you guys. Let me know. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Oh we have used it lots of times, it works well, has a regulator on it. Just need the section that has the removable screen. Be an easy fix. Thanks again.
It's made from a 10 frame deep box that fits perfectly over another 10 frame box for very easy transfer...just slide out the bottom baffle and you're ready to go on another removal...
Nice video I will get one done over the winter. Hopefully next year I will get my first cut out. It would be nice. Can't stop watching your videos awesome job.
In the next few weeks, I'm going to make and post a video describing the components of the bee vac in detail. Stay tuned for it, and good luck on your build. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Mr. Ed great video as always. I started building my Robo bee vac this past weekend. Got my gate off of amazon, search blast gate . Mine has a 2 1/2 inch hole made by powertec $4.88 , I got 2. I have my bottom built with gate, the 1/8 inch hardware cloth shim was the most difficult part but have it built and works great. working on the top now with vac. Will post picture once done. Would have been done but help a friend with a cut out the past Saturday. We're both first year beekeepers and bee were in an old hot water heat tank that was buried over about 3 1/2 feet in ground and 2 1/2 feet out of ground.
Way to go Matthew, I hope the video gave you some assistance. Congratulations on the cut out, nothing better than wrangling bees. What part of the country are you in? Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
I had the director of the first Godzilla movie come over and shoot and edit this video for me, I thought he did a great job....I just wish he had left Godzilla back in Japan, he wrecked havoc all over the abbey. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
I saw the coffin handles at the bottom. GOOD job! I need one of those for fleas, gnats, chiggers, blow flies and wayward cars but since I'm allergic I better just keep dodging instead of collecting. I would say I could use one of Randy's sneakers but I think mine are bigger than his. Oh well. Can't have everything. GBWYou!
If you keep one of these bad boys by your bed at night, whenever bugs bites you under the covers, just suck them up. Before long, you will be sleeping like a babe.Unless you wear a size 18, you ain't got the Rooster beat. That boy is LARGE. God's peace to you also brother. Mr. Ed
The design is not mine, I found it on youtube, but the build is all Mr. Ed. I hope the video will help you build one also. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
WOW!!!! You made building that bee contraption look so easy. Rather than me try to do it, I'll just call you!!! LOL Loved this informational video!! You kept my interest going with each step. God bless you!!! As long as you make the videos, I'll be watching!!! Tell my mom, who works just upstairs, hello for a me!!!? Until your next video....I'm out! !!!!
Thank you for the blessing Gina. Are you and Nicky getting ready to start wrangling bees? If so, you will need a bee vac and this is the one for you. I will tell her hello for you, and guess what, she subbed to my channel. She is so cool. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Thank you for the help and for watching the channel. I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Now you will need to build yourself a bee vac. I have been using this vac for over 3 years now with tremendous success. I do not go on a removal without my bee vac. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Hi Jeff, You were mentioning about the gate with a sliding piece of plastic to close it. Well last week I came across these gates when I was looking for a vacuum system for my wood working shop. I think it was with Shop Vac system that had these with the kit. I believe there were 6 with the system kit. I do not know if they sell them individually or not. there you have it. Take care, God Bless. Later Tim
Thank you for the lead Tim. I went to the site to see, but the gates were not the ones I was looking for. thank you for trying to help and for watching the video. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Hello again. I am sure that these yellow gates are what you were looking for. Maybe you did not have the right site. Try this link. www.shopvac.ca/shop-vac-sawdust-collection-system---catalog-no--8017500 . I checked the link and it brings you right to it. Good luck and let me know it this works for you. God Bless. Tim
well its been a good one for ya. One thing, I don't use one, cause i do no cut outs. but if i did! I want a light one, I do use the vac as a blower, to blow filter air into my bee suit, or a leaf blower small one he hee just in case i run into another 9 live swarm Wow i love that swarm made so many splits from it, it just kept throw them out
This bee vac is not light, and on top of that, it's big. But you know what, it works great, and I'm going to continue to use it. Why mess with success. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed
yep been a good one rite hummm i notice bees are drawn to light! Maybe some sort of window in one of the boxes would bring them to the top faster, When there in the house 1st thing they go for is the windows then light.
It is the best design bee vac that I have come across. The kill ratio is almost 0 and the release method is the best on the market. It is cumbersome and heavy, but worth the effort in the success it delivers. Let me know how it works for you. Thanks for watching, and I hope you continue to watch and comment on all my bee wrangling adventures. God's peace. Mr. Ed
I hope the video was helpful. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out other of my bee wrangling adventures on my channel. I hope to hear from you again. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Someone has suggested that, and I am going to do it. It is a great idea and will simplify matters. Thank you for the help and watching the video. God's peace. Mr. Ed
A piece of hvac tin about 1½-2" wide, folded in half, soldered or brazed to the hardware cloth would be perfect, like adding a back to a saw such as a dovetail or miter handsaw
Nice video as usual Mr. Ed. By the way, you can use MDF wood instead of this type of wood, as i know MDF is lighter i mean much lighter than the type you using, hence, since you won't need it more than say 24 hrs only! Good luck anyhow 😊👌
Glad you liked the video, and I hope there was some useful info in it that you can use. I have used this very same vacuum for over 5 years now, and it still preforms fantastic. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed
The portal and gate look like the old hamster CritterTrails from back in the 80's & 90's. You should be able to find them on Amazon and I think PetCo. and Pet Smart still carry them. Wal-Mart may even carry them.
Design question: Why not make the screen separator section and the bottom section connectable, so that they hold the brood box in place tight? And I guess you didn't make the pressure regulator shutter spring loaded because if the hose gets clogged you want more under pressure? Tip: make the first 1/3rd of the separator screen from sheet metal, so you don't maim bees when you're partially pulling out the separator.
OK, are you an engineer? You are killing me with way to much info. Remember, I was a mailman, and my mind does not work that fast. It has been fried reading other peoples mail and magazines. Great ideas. Thanks for the help. God's peace. Mr. Ed
I'll write more slowly next time. ;) I used to be an engineer, long time ago. And no, I did not know you were a mailman, but it does seem like a good match. I guess this all began when you accidentally opened someone's bee package? Glad I could help. Stay Splendid! And thank you for sharing!
Nice job. I made the same design a couple years ago. Works great. But my 1/8 screen causes problems: difficult to slide in and my opening for the screen is just a tad too big, so small bees can escape. I am thinking of replacing the screen with a piece of plastic propolis trap. Will be a little thicker than the screen, I think. And perhaps easier to slide in and out.
Would a Spare Queen Excluder and Fine Mesh* Nailed or Glued around the edge, in place not be easier to use. ? Aka like the Board used in a Demaree Hive Split process. (OK thats Solid) but the principle is the same. 😎 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Happy Beekeeping 2023 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Here in Scotland 🏴 I can buy cheap Green coloured Wind Break Mesh* (Garden Centre) it's usually Sold on a "Cut Yourself" Roll ! (Used to shelter young Hedge or Plants prone to Wind Burn etc...) It's great Stuff for making DIY Inner Screen Mesh Lids. You see the Bees Re: Food / Clustered / Alive Status, while no need for putting on a Bee Suit. And it makes a great Propolis Trap too. (All that beneficial Microbe health) stays with the Hive. 👍 You can Freeze these and the Propolis can be carefully Scratched Off. Nice ! If Metal Screen Mesh is used instead (harder to cut and more expensive) Then sure, heat gently that Metal Mesh (only !) to remove said Propolis. 👍
Glad to help, I hope your build goes well. Here's the link to the gate I use to attach my hose to the box. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed www.shopvacstore.com/shop-vac-vacuum-gate-for-sawdust-collection-system-details.aspx
Excellent video Mr. Ed. You have inspired me to want to wrangle bees and you are teaching me the skills to do just that. Thank you for sharing and you are a gifted teacher. God bless you Mr. Ed. Oh, could give a link to the Robo vac you use?
Thank you for your blessing Blane, I deeply appreciate it. I am happy to hear you want to join the ranks of the Bee Wrangler Association. It's a lot of hard word, but for me, worth all the effort. Please keep me updated as to your progress. Make sure you have a bee vac. The one I used in this video is the one I use on all my bee wrangling adventures. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Mr Edd I have pretty much the same Vac but I had a solid screen rather than a removable one. I like this removable screen would certainly make life easier on the transfer. I will see if I can make one, Do you have a video where you make that screen? Tony
I'm sorry Tony, there is no other video concerning the removable screen. I'm positive if you built your own vac, you can figure out how to build the removable screen. Let me know how it goes. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed
You've really inspired me Mr. Ed. It probably wont be for another 10 to 15 years before I'm in a place to do any beekeeping, but I adore the gentle way you remove the bees and that you use their hive comb to make them happy in their new configuration. r. Have you ever considered a FlowHive? And if so, whats your opinion of it? Thank you for caring for the bees and helping keep the world a better place, and God Bless.
Thank you for the blessing, I really appreciate your kindness. Here is a suggestion for you, don't wait to start bee keeping. Join a bee club in your area right now. That way, when you get your own bees, you will know much better on how to keep them. I am not a big fan of the flow hive even though I have one. I still prefer to extract honey the hard way. It is a good fit for some people, just not me.Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
I would love to start right away! :) But we are a career military family and wont be in a position to settle into a permanent home for at least 10 years. maybe more. I'm in Japan right now and Bees are a no go in On Base housing. XD
I understand, I grew up following my dad all over the country and even to the Canal Zone due to his military life. It is a good life, and I don't regret one bit of it. Many experiences learned that otherwise would never have been. Best wishes, please keep me posted and continue to watch my bee adventures. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Interesting design, but your description of the airflow is incorrect. Everything inside the system, from the nozzle end of the hose into the impellers of the vacuum motor assembly, is under vacuum whenever the vacuum is running. There is no such thing as "dead air space". However, there will be areas that have less turbulence, the area under the frames is not one of them. In between the frames is probably the area of least turbulence. The highest, for areas accessible to the bees, will be in the hose. I doubt seriously if the airflow slows down enough near the sloping floor for the bees to land and then crawl up to the frames. You can reduce the turbulence a bit by using a larger diameter hose for most of the run and adapting that down to a smaller diameter for the short run at the working end. That would also reduce the air velocity in the hose - making it less physically traumatic to the bees. That 3 HP motor/blower has far more air flow than you need - although it would be useful if you had 100 feet of vacuum hose. I would want that noisy thing as far way from where I was working as possible - if for no other reason to avoid hearing damage.
You are to kind for sharing that. It is my hope and desire that when folks see me, they can see Christ in what I do. Thanks so much for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
a very good educational video. i've wondered what the bees do once they get sucked up through the vac. And for another subject, how long have you been 'raising' bees? I'm sure you have mentioned it i've just forgotten. Thanks for what you do for the bees. :)
Hey! It's one of my most favorite sisters. The truth is, I have little tables set up in the box with glasses and bottles of wine for the bees relaxation while they are waiting to reunite with their comb. Nothing but the best for Mr. Ed's girls. I am now in the 6th year for keeping bees at the abbey.Before that, I had bees for over 10 years. Mr. Ed loves bees and his sister. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Gotcha! If you’re killing bees, “Just close your hole (and listen to how Mr Ed does it) ”……sounds like good advice! And old instructor friend of mine in the Army said, “God gave you one mouth and TWO ears! ….think about it”-W. Gander SMSGT
The exact type of motor is not the important factor, the important thing is to bleed off the excessive suction.Glad to hear you enjoyed the video, and I hope you will keep on watching. God's peace Alyssa. Mr. Ed
Yo legit question: Why not skip the nerve-wracking part and put some velcro straps or hook and eye latches on the sides, to prevent the top of that bee screen from coming off when you've got the vacuum off? To prevent any catastrophe from happening with those super angry bees. You like to live dangerously!
The velcro is another great idea, thanks for sharing it. Us old guys really can't think to good, we just figure that's how everybody did it before and they didn't get hurt to bad, so it must bee the only way to do it. Thanks for the tip and watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
I made this bee vac a year ago. I got to use it on a cut out yesterday and it worked like a champ. It in big and bulky but you have the bees where you want them when it is all done. Remember, don't shut off the vac in the middle of the job or the bees will walk out. Gaps between sections on the vac are easily remedied with tape. Thanks Mr. Ed for helping me catch bees in the 49th state!
You the man Matt, way to go! Pretty soon I'll bee see you on RUclips with your own channel. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
Mr. Ed. I just have to say you did an excellent job with this video. You are a terrific instructor. You did a great job of explaining all of the parts and how the vacuum works. This is one of my favorites so far. Thank you sir!!! 👍👍
Thank you very much, but with over 580 to watch, your opinion on this one being your favorite may change....at least it's a possibility. Keep watching, I'll be making more. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
This has to be the best idea and way of getting bees without introducing the bad parts most people overlook. Thank you Mr. ED for this design. I will be making me one this week. You are really on the ball with your methods and logical thinking for us all on RUclips to stay current and on top of the beekeeping world. I thank you from the bottom of my heart Sir. Peace and God bless you too. vf
The design is not mine, I copied it off a RUclips video years ago. Let me know how the build goes. Thank you for your blessings, kind words, and for taking the time to watch my bee wrangling adventures, it is greatly appreciated. God's peace Vic.
Mr. Ed
@@JeffHorchoff Good day Sir.
Thank you Mr. Ed! I been wondering about how to make one of these. Really great video, you took the time to explain it right. Thanks again and hope God protects you and yours and including all the Lil ladies you rescue especially thru all this bad weather you all have been having. Your in my prayers, God bless.
Thank you for the prayers Jack, I'm always looking for that. I'm happy to provide the info and I hope it helps in your construct. Let me know how yours turns out. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
I was just telling my hubby about your bee vac the other day, trying to explain how you made it (without seeing this video) now he can watch this and maybe for my birthday, he could make me one. Thank you for your great videos
I hope you get one for your birthday! Thanks for watching. God's peace Lyn.
Mr. Ed
This is the video that first got me into watching your other videos. About a year ago I was searching for a way to make a good bee vac as it’s not common here in Wisconsin and Minnesota. I made it and it works great.
Thank you
I'm happy to supply a bit of good info, and I'm delighted to hear it helped you out. Thanks for your dedication to my channel. God's peace Carl.
Mr. Ed
Of all the bee vac designs out there, I chose to make this one. A very humane way, with little trauma to the bees transferring from vac to hive box. I was unable to find a vacuum motor like yours, so I improvised by using a Home Depot Bucket Head vacuum. To allow for the long length of the filter, I cut the top 5-6 inches off of another 5 gallon bucket and screwed/caulked it to an opening on the top of the bee vac. Now the motor snaps on and off just like on a regular 5 gallon bucket. I've had the opportunity to use it twice, and though rather bulky in size, it works exceptionally well. Thank you for your design info and "Keep on making more"!
Jeff you could make your dividing screen 1/2-3/4" thicker, then the track groove could be made about 5/16" - wide enough that you could frame the outside of your hardware cloth with a 1" wide strip of 1/8" plywood on both sides of your hardware cloth making the hardware cloth rigid so it would be easier to slide in and out.....much like a furnace filter only thinner
just a thought
thanks for the great video as always
That is a GREAT idea.The problem I have is the cloth will fray making it harder and harder to put in the track. Your idea eliminates that issue. Great fix, thank you. It's been a while since I've seen your name in the comments, I'm glad you chimed in on this on. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
My screen separator is large enough (like a T-cover) to lock over the edge. Instead of the screen sliding I have a 4" strip of thin plywood on one end I can remove. Also I have two so I can also cover the comb super and leave it open to collect the strays. Close it up after dark and go. They Lock together all the boxes for safe traveling ( I have a van).
How long have you been doing this. You have vey good ideas. Thank you for your input. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
yeah its been a while, past month has been hectic with the move and all, but Im getting all settled in and about to get my bear fence up so I can get back into bee keeping, between you and dirtrooster you guys really got me motivated lol
love the videos Jeff, thank you for them!
Glad things are slowing down for you enough to start taking care of the bees. Get that fence up, and keep on watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Thanks Mr Ed :) for answering the questions I've asked and for explaining how you'd bee vac works. Super interesting. 💜🐢
My pleasure, I hope it gives you a better idea on how to approach the build. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Not yet ready to vacuum bees still taking classes through local bee club and plan to set up my 1st hive come spring. you keep me inspired Thank you for the great vids
Keep at it David, you will be wrangling bees before you know it. Then, you will be wanting and needing a be vac. Thanks for watching. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Hey there mr Ed. The closing slide door that you are having trouble finding is a BLAST GATE. used for built in home vacuum systems. They are like five dollars on Amazon.
Thank you for the info, and for watching. I hope you will check out a few more of my videos on my channel and let me know what you think of them. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Shop Vac Sawdust Body & Gate
@@Mark-vw6xf watching here Philippines
I’m not a bee keeper, I’m just interested in your wrangling bees, with good time Charlie and your other friends…..
I’m always interested in learning new things… I love how you praise Jesus with each queen catch…
Thank you so much Susie, and don't worry, we will bee making more. Until the next one, God's peace.
Mr. Ed
I saw some bottle to bottle bee keeping & I don't think these people have the bees best interest at heart. Caring bee keeping happens when people like you show how you Really care & actually take care of them properly; addressing thier needs & not just taking the honey & run. God Bless You 🙏 for ALL of your educational Bee Love Mr. Ed!
I'm enjoying watching your videos. This is my third summer with bees and I have 2 colonies in my garden in Scotland. Earlier this year I met a pest controller and we got chatting about bees and wasps. He has passed on a couple of bee swarms this year and my new group has collected quite a few over this summer. I was commenting only the other week that we might need a new vac and now I have your design! So far the be swarms in buildings have left so we have not needed one. However we have collected 2 swarms from a wild hive in a tree that's too close to houses. A winter project will be building equipment to get them out and now I might try the new vac too! God bless you for all the work you do and helping / inspiring your viewers!
I'm delighted to share the little I know about the many aspects of bee keeping, and I am truly impressed on your desire to save this amazing creature, keep up your good works. Thank you for your blessings and for watching. God's peace Mark.
Mr. Ed
Lol. I keep asking you questions, then run across the answer in one of your videos shortly thereafter. But you're kind and patient and keep answering my questions anyway. Thank you. I'll keep watching!
It's my pleasure to reply to the comments, It's the least I could do for the honor you have given me to watch and comment on one of my videos. Looking forward to hearing from you again. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Mr. Ed nice video on your Bee vac I would never get it's right on your as well, I love your concept for bees awesome job, Thank for doing this video. God bless until you!
Thanks Sallie, I hope the info that I provided may be of use to you in your bee wrangling. God's peace,
Mr. Ed
thanks ED! I made one using your design and it worked great! I need to work on the screen as i do not have a table saw to create a groove /track for the screen to run on and be removed... will get that resolved. It worked great! One change i made was in the vacuum control, I used a metal vent disc. Easy to mount, less moving parts and took up less space.
Because bees can crawl through such a tiny space, the curf a table saw makes, is the perfect amount of room that bees can't crawl through it. Great modification, I alway say use what works. Thanks for watching. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Thank you Mr Ed for sharing this and how to make it your self this is cool.
Having watched many ways to make Bee Vacs ... I would say to my mind this is the best design ,,, Very well thought out ... The detail of the explanation of the design Is perfect ... Easy to follow ... i would say its basic woodwork ... So should be within the reach of most men or women with a few tools .. Thank you ... For being a great teacher ... Not only on Bee Vacs ... But on all round Bee keeping ... Your Videos are well worth watching ...
Thank you very much for your kind words and taking the time to watch my bee wrangling adventures. Until the next time, God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Thank you for showing how you built your vac. You are so kind to do that. I'm going to start some new 1st time hives in the spring. Found my first hive about a month ago only problem is that it's about 30 feet in the tree. Hope I can get them in a box. Take care and be safe.
You are the one who needs to be safe, 30 feet in the air. If it were me, that's where they'd stay. I wish you the best in your future endeavors at bee wrangling and bee keeping. It's a great hobby. Let me know how you progress. God's peace. Mr. Ed
You are indeed a good teacher!! Awesome video. The explanation was thorough, you gave your reasons for doing it this way, the advantages, some degree of explanation of other options available, the parts of the kit you chose and why. Gives people a great advantage in starting with a lot of knowledge on how to do it. Thank you for sharing it Mr. Ed. Regards, Julie
Thank you for all you kind words Julie.....the checks in the mail. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
LOL!!
A great video. I have my design very similar only that i use a shop vac so only the hose goes into the top. I also use a sealed mesh frame ontop of the brood body. I like the idea of it being able to be removed without having to move the frame as i have to lift the screen off mine. so something i will adapt after this video. The bas is similar but again hose just pushes into a hole and there is a camed piece of timber to cover after hose removed.. Cheers Edd
If it vacuums bees with minimal killing, it's a bee vac. There are so many designs, and all work to some degree, some just preform better. I'm glad the video gave you inspiration to improve, I'm happy to contribute. Thanks for watching, and I hope you keep me posted on your advancements. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
UK Here We Grow om
I used a vac motor from Lowe's, I think it is going to work great. Thanks for your help !!
The type of motor is not important, as long as it does the job, it's the perfect one. Now go wrangle some bees. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Thank you Mr. Ed
I just found this video after I sent you a requested your design. Your the best!!
Happy to help, let me know how the build goes. You can improvise on many of things I do, but the end result should be the same. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Beautiful concept. Well done. I wish I needed one - but I have one hive and that's enough.
When you get that itch to wrangle bees, at least you will know where to look for a bee vac. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
That pressure regulator is brilliant. Now I understand how you manage to vacuum for hours and have such great results - the bees are transferred, a little feisty - but few if any fatalities. Great job!
The bee vac is a wonderful tool, and I don't ever leave home without it. God's peace Julie.
Mr. Ed
This is a great video. You do a great job of explaining the design and the factors that guide it and you explain the complicated features well without getting bogged down in the construction. I only know you from when your wonderful smile brightens up that grumpy old Rooster's videos but I'll have to come check you out more.
Glad to bee of assistance, and thanks for your kind words. Looking forward to hearing from you in the future. God's peace Pete.
Mr. Ed
I have kept bee's for three years now and have just realised I am gonna need a bloody workshop for all these gadgets I need! Best damn hobby I ever took up tho, very consuming and very rewarding and a complete life changer. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge Jeff! I'm off to deconstruct my house vac ha ha
You sound like me when I first started wrangling, and I have to say, I've gotten worst. I'm convinced bee keeping is an addiction......I think it's because of the honey. Thanks for watching, and I wish you all the best in your endeavors. It may be advisable NOT to tell the missus what you are using her vacuum for. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
Wonderful tutorial, Mr. Ed. Have a blessed day. And may you always get the queen. ;D
Thank you for the blessing Laura, that's what makes my day. I caught another swam today, along with the queen, video to come. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
That seems like a lot of work. But it may well be kinder on the bees and that should reflect in less losses. Thanks so much for a well presented video.
If removing bees is in your future, a bee vac is going to be your favorite tool. Weather you use a bee vac or not, removing bees is stressful to them and there will be losses. However, the number of bees lost in the bee vac is very small. Glad you enjoyed the video, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling videos and let me know what you think of them as well. God's peace Bob.
Mr. Ed
Mr. Ed, after watching several of your vids where you vacuum up the bees i have been very curious about how they survive the whole thing. the slanted floor and of course the size of it all makes sense now. thanks for showing us how it's done!
The bee vac is a must if you plan on removing bee from structures. It's special design of low vacuum does little harm to the bees, and they can bee easily transferred once the removal is complete. Thanks for watching. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
Jeff, I have done woodworking since I was a kid hanging out with with my dad down in his little shop in the cellar. Have you ever considered building something similar to a kid's wagon with the various components being modular so that you can move it around easily while in the apiary. And since it is modules, when moving from one yard to another you don't need to move one heavy apparatus, and you can take whichever modules are needed.
May the Lord our God bless you, your family, and of course your bee's.
Thank you for your blessing Kevin, it is greatly appreciated. Our operation has gotten so large that a wagon is too small, I use the pick up truck and have everything in it that I need. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
I think a wagon is a great idea. Thanks
Thank you for explaining that box for us. I always wondered how that worked.
As soon as you start wrangling bees for yourself, make sure you have one of these babies. God's peace Dyana.
Mr. Ed
Thank You Mister Ed, for shearing your knowledge whith us.
I'm happy to do it, sharing makes the world a better place for all of us. Thanks for watching. God's peace Harley.
Mr. Ed
I've been wondering how that setup worked!
Maybe a couple screws to hold down the screen board and avoid an accidental spill? Or, some short bungees from the screen board to the bottom ramped frame? Love your videos! Keep up the good work! You really help out us novice beekeepers!
It's a great feeling to help others, so please, lets keep the victims of Harvey in our prayers. Thanks for watching God's peace.
Mr. Ed
I wanted to help a friend to get a well established hive out of a timber framed wall of a cottage, and attempted to use a trap-out. But the bees were determined to keep finding ways to get back into the wall despite all attempts to block them. It seems that bees have been living in this wall for almost twenty years, and they were not at all interested in being moved. I decided that this situation provided the necessary incentive to build a bee-vacuum.
I had previously had some thoughts to build a bee-vacuum, and have seen a variety of ideas put into action by various RUclips contributors. The design of your bee vacuum seems to be the best of those that I have seen. An old maxim says that “necessity is the mother of invention”, and I recognised several areas where I wanted to provide additional functionality, which I describe below:
Firstly, I wanted to have a design that did not allow for the possibility of the bee-vacuum boxes becoming dislodged from each other at any stage from the initial catching of the bees, to the transportation of the unit to the new location for the hive, through to the introduction of the bees back into the salvaged brood comb.
Next, I wanted to have a method of controlling the intensity of the suction force from the vacuum cleaner motor, with a special emphasis on providing fine control between too much suction, and not enough. I realise that a flap valve of some kind can achieve a satisfactory result, but I had another idea in mind.
Another thing concerns the use of the woven wire mesh to keep the bees in the catch box, and away from the vacuum motor. This is indeed functional, but you showed that it is not easy to get the mesh positioned in the groove of the divider board which is located between the catch box and the vacuum motor.
I completed the construction of my bee vacuum just a few days ago, incorporating my enhancements which took into account the various concerns I have just listed. Two days ago I used my machine to capture the bees from that wall. At the start of the exercise, to capture the bees, very many of the bees were very agitated and angry. Perhaps these were the guard bees which had been on sentry duty. As more and more bees were collected from the honeycomb in the wall, things became more placid - perhaps these were the bees which had never yet been out of the hive. Yesterday my friend told of the pleasure of seeing those bees being very peaceful in their new hive, some twenty kilometres away from their previous location.
The following paragraphs describe the features I have included in my bee vacuum machine:
I have not relied on straps or cords to tie the boxes together, but have instead used threaded steel rods of appropriate length to clamp the top-most box (on which the vacuum motor is placed) to the base into which the vacuum hose is attached. There are four brackets (which have threads cut in them) attached to the corners of the base, for the threaded rods to screw into them. There are four corresponding brackets attached to the top-most box, for the threaded rods to pass through. I actually used plain steel rod (about 6mm or quarter of an inch diameter) with about 25mm or one inch of thread cut at the bottom end. I shaped the top end of each of these rods like crank handles, so that it is very easy to screw them into the bottom brackets, to clamp everything as tightly as necessary.
The control of the suction force is very important, in my opinion. I have used the motor from a wet-or-dry vacuum cleaner, in which the motor can be lifted from the bucket-like base of the vacuum cleaner. The real bonus for me is the fact that this motor has a variable-speed control, which enables the motor to slow down very much so that it produces only very gentle suction. There is a second bonus associated to this, namely that when it is operating at low speed to produce the right amount of suction, it is also very much more quiet. It is not screaming away at full speed, and therefore provides a much more peaceful environment in which to work, and also offers the possibility of a much greater life expectancy of the motor, as well as the motor running cooler. For anyone who is purchasing a vacuum motor specifically intended for a bee-vacuum, I believe that the speed control device is invaluable. For anyone who is using a vacuum cleaner which does not have a speed control, it is possible to purchase such a device which could be wired into the electricity supply cord into the vacuum cleaner. I would hasten to add that anyone who follows this approach must realise that this should only be attempted by someone who has the required electrical understanding and skill. After all, and old saying I heard many years ago still applies: “Electricity is a good servant, but a bad master”.
Now, concerning the wire mesh between the bee-capture-box and the vacuum motor. I have used a sheet of perforated steel instead of mesh. The material I used is about 0.5mm in thickness, and has holes which are about 2mm in diameter. It allows air to be drawn freely by the vacuum motor, and it slides very easily into the groove.
There are actually several more enhancements of a minor nature that I have built into my bee-vacuum, which I could describe if people are interested.
Great job on your modifications. God's peace Wilfred.
Mr. Ed
Glad to know the vac works the way I imagined it did, thanks for sharing your knowledge!
My pleasure, now you going to build one? God's peace.
Mr. Ed
So informative and entertaining.Finished the video in one go. Good job Mr Ed. 🤗
I hope you paused the video, and took a break at some point, that was a LONG video. I really don't like making, much less watching, something over 15 minutes long. Thanks you for enduring. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Excellent video Jeff. Thankyou!
I hope there is info in there you can use, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Hey Mr Ed, just wanted to let you know that I was in PMC tools in Albany today and found the sliding gate where your hose goes into your bee vac. I bought one for mine and I can’t wait to get it installed.
I passed PMC last week, took some bees from a house in Albany. We buy a bunch of stuff from them for our shop, but I never saw the gate that I was looking for. No matter, one of my viewers found the very one I needed, so I've got my back up now. If you are ever in Covington, get in touch with me. It would bee great to meet you and I'll give you a tour of our bee yards. Thanks for your help and for watching. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
We would love to come visit. I was wondering if you would be around this Saturday. You can call or text anytime.
Scott Burchfield 225-678-6019
Very well thought out bee vacuum (no doubt the result of a lot of prior struggles).
You got that right, and I'm still not done yet. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
God Bless you for trying to explain how to build a box made of wood. You could build a gate from piece of pvc and a slot with a piece to slide to close
I love receiving blessings, it just makes my day, thank you. The whole point of this video is just to explain in detail a very important tool for wrangling bees. I am very glad there is such a positive response to it. Again, thank you for the blessing and watching the video. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
I am loving all your information. I probably will never be able to actually own a hive as I live in an apartment 😭. Thank you 🐝 for all the knowledge
I am delighted to share my bee wrangling experiences and knowledge, and I'm honored that you take the time to watch and leave your comment. Until the next time, God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Subscriber-Notifier-Liker Here. Thank You, Mr. Ed/Jeff - for the great videos on beekeeping- please keep them up, and may God bless you. We might be able to 3D print that gate... just need to measure up the hoses.....
Thank you so much for your blessing and offer of help Joe, they are greatly appreciated. Shop Vac still makes the gate, I had the link for it, but now the link is no good. I'm sure someone will find it for me in the future. Thanks so much for watching and subbing to my channel. Until the next time, God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
@@JeffHorchoff I will be making up a Bee Vacuum as part of my bee hive 'kit'. I want to learn how to graft bee larvae into queens, too. So much to learn on the path to becoming a beekeeper. But as the meek honey bee goes - so shall we follow. May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields.
Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
And may God bless you, brother Jeff.
That gate came with dust collection kit that was sold at sears or lowe at one time. I used it on the top and bottom of a similar design. Like the videos
I believe you, I found that gate one day cleaning up the tool room and stuck it on the side. Two years later I rediscovered it, and was delighted to see that my hose fit it exactly. That's when it went into my first bee vac. When that vac proved not so successful, I took it off and placed it on the Robo vac. I have looked everywhere for that gate with no success. I hope it never breaks. Thanks for watching. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Here is the gate I think your using: www.shopvacstore.com/shop-vac-vacuum-gate-for-sawdust-collection-system-details.aspx. and here: www.shop-vacs.com/sawdust-body-gate.html
effectively, I use the pressure regulator but. Even so the bees die. I feel a great regret in my heart, because this time there were many bees that died and I want to find a way to rescue them without harming them. Thanks Mr. Ed.
I wonder, once set, does the regulator remain at the position you wanted or does it move? What diameter hose are you using? Is it ribbed or smooth on the inside? That's about all I can come up with. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
@@JeffHorchoff The suction hose is not smooth, it is the common hose that comes with a 2.5-inch diameter vacuum. What brand or type of hose and what diameter do you recommend. Thanks for your help.
Hi Jeff. Most vacuum hoses have an end that fits snugly inside a regular PVC pipe inside diameter. (1-1/4", 2", and 3" being the most common sizes.) You could use a regular piece of PVC pipe for the 'gate'. Just keep a slip-on cap, handy. Maybe hang it from a piece of string beside the pipe? Pull the vacuum hose end out of the pipe, and slap the cap on real quick.
I am going to look into your idea, thank you. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
Why not just get a pvc shutoff ball valve and glue it on your pipe first? Plus you will have better vacuum since you have a gap from removing that “gate” in the video
I used plexiglass for a gate with a couple of bolts to secure. One bolt allows it to pivot and second bolt keeps it secure when I am not vacuuming.
Sounds good to me. I figure as long as the vac works and does not kill bees, you got yourself a winner. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
That is an EXCELLENT video, very thorough! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Bless you.
Thank you for the blessing, I'll keep making videos as long as I get the blessings. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
I made this exact bee vac, it’s a bloody ripper👌🏻 Thanks Jeff🙏🏻
I agree 100%, the bee vac is a real performer. Thanks for watching. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Thanks for sharing Jeff. I've been meaning to build one myself, your design fits my requirements. Keep on keepin' on!
Great, I'm glad I could help. You still may want to do a little more research to see if this type of vac is the right one for you. Thanks for watching, and I hope you continue to do so. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Thanks, this answers my question on merging the bees into the hive. We will be making the removable screen section for our bee vac asap. The rest is basically the same as this. Thanks again, Happy Bee Wranglin :)
Don't forget about the regulator, it's no good to vacuum bees just to kill them. I hope it works well for you guys. Let me know. Thanks for watching. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Oh we have used it lots of times, it works well, has a regulator on it. Just need the section that has the removable screen. Be an easy fix. Thanks again.
Great, hope to hear from you again. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
I really love the Colorado Bee Vac...small and compact and has over 90% survival rate!!!!
It's made from a 10 frame deep box that fits perfectly over another 10 frame box for very easy transfer...just slide out the bottom baffle and you're ready to go on another removal...
I almost bought one, but I was not happy with the idea of dumping bees. They are great vacs, but just not for me. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Nice video I will get one done over the winter. Hopefully next year I will get my first cut out. It would be nice. Can't stop watching your videos awesome job.
In the next few weeks, I'm going to make and post a video describing the components of the bee vac in detail. Stay tuned for it, and good luck on your build. Thanks for watching. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Fantastic insight into your business and I bet EVEN Jesus will Bee impressed with you and your shepherding those Bee's.
Mr. Ed great video as always. I started building my Robo bee vac this past weekend. Got my gate off of amazon, search blast gate . Mine has a 2 1/2 inch hole made by powertec $4.88 , I got 2. I have my bottom built with gate, the 1/8 inch hardware cloth shim was the most difficult part but have it built and works great. working on the top now with vac. Will post picture once done. Would have been done but help a friend with a cut out the past Saturday. We're both first year beekeepers and bee were in an old hot water heat tank that was buried over about 3 1/2 feet in ground and 2 1/2 feet out of ground.
Way to go Matthew, I hope the video gave you some assistance. Congratulations on the cut out, nothing better than wrangling bees. What part of the country are you in? Thanks for watching. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Mr. Ed I'm in Florence ,South Carolina. Was praying for you guys during Hurricane Harvey, Now we got Irma coming. Be safe.
I've been praying over Irma since she got off the coast of Africa. You are included. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
Awesome design.
And it works great! God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
10:13 im now convinced this video was originally a japanese film and dubbed over...lol love ya mr Ed keep up the great vids
I had the director of the first Godzilla movie come over and shoot and edit this video for me, I thought he did a great job....I just wish he had left Godzilla back in Japan, he wrecked havoc all over the abbey. Thanks for watching. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Fantastic video, Mr. Ed! I hope to build one of these one day!
Me too, it's a great bee vac, and you can modify it to fit the materials you have. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
The screen portion could be held down with garden gate hooks or double hung window locks
Very good idea, thanks for your suggestion and for watching. Stay safe, God's peace Bob.
Mr. Ed
I saw the coffin handles at the bottom. GOOD job! I need one of those for fleas, gnats, chiggers, blow flies and wayward cars but since I'm allergic I better just keep dodging instead of collecting. I would say I could use one of Randy's sneakers but I think mine are bigger than his. Oh well. Can't have everything. GBWYou!
If you keep one of these bad boys by your bed at night, whenever bugs bites you under the covers, just suck them up. Before long, you will be sleeping like a babe.Unless you wear a size 18, you ain't got the Rooster beat. That boy is LARGE. God's peace to you also brother.
Mr. Ed
great design great video
The design is not mine, I found it on youtube, but the build is all Mr. Ed. I hope the video will help you build one also. Thanks for watching. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
WOW!!!! You made building that bee contraption look so easy. Rather than me try to do it, I'll just call you!!! LOL
Loved this informational video!! You kept my interest going with each step. God bless you!!! As long as you make the videos, I'll be watching!!! Tell my mom, who works just upstairs, hello for a me!!!? Until your next video....I'm out! !!!!
Thank you for the blessing Gina. Are you and Nicky getting ready to start wrangling bees? If so, you will need a bee vac and this is the one for you. I will tell her hello for you, and guess what, she subbed to my channel. She is so cool. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
The gate looks like a ported dust removal gate used in woodworking. They are available from Woodcraft or any woodworking supply shop.
It is a dust collector gate, but one that is manufactured no longer. I have many options thankfully. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Great video again Mr Ed, thank you.
My pleasure, and thanks for watching a really long one. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
For your gate, search for "dust collection gates". You should be able to find something. You may have to use an adaptor worse case scenario.
Thank you for the help and for watching the channel. I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Just now seeing this. Very good info. Thanks
Thanks Jim, and if you are thinking about building a bee vac, I hope the video helps. Thanks for watching. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
great info jeff thanks for sharing this
My pleasure Drew, I'm sorry it took me so long to get around to making the video, but I'm happy I did. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed
Hey Mister master Bee Man....Love Your Videos...God Bless You...
This was awsome, thank you, keep up the good work Mr Ed
Now you will need to build yourself a bee vac. I have been using this vac for over 3 years now with tremendous success. I do not go on a removal without my bee vac. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
my dear I wish you a Merry Christmas, God Bless you
my dear I wish you a Merry Christmas, God Bless you
Hi Jeff, You were mentioning about the gate with a sliding piece of plastic to close it. Well last week I came across these gates when I was looking for a vacuum system for my wood working shop. I think it was with Shop Vac system that had these with the kit. I believe there were 6 with the system kit. I do not know if they sell them individually or not. there you have it. Take care, God Bless. Later Tim
Thank you for the lead Tim. I went to the site to see, but the gates were not the ones I was looking for. thank you for trying to help and for watching the video. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Hello again. I am sure that these yellow gates are what you were looking for. Maybe you did not have the right site. Try this link. www.shopvac.ca/shop-vac-sawdust-collection-system---catalog-no--8017500 . I checked the link and it brings you right to it. Good luck and let me know it this works for you. God Bless. Tim
well its been a good one for ya. One thing, I don't use one, cause i do no cut outs. but if i did! I want a light one, I do use the vac as a blower, to blow filter air into my bee suit, or a leaf blower small one he hee just in case i run into another 9 live swarm Wow i love that swarm made so many splits from it, it just kept throw them out
This bee vac is not light, and on top of that, it's big. But you know what, it works great, and I'm going to continue to use it. Why mess with success. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
yep been a good one rite hummm i notice bees are drawn to light! Maybe some sort of window in one of the boxes would bring them to the top faster, When there in the house 1st thing they go for is the windows then light.
Wow, this is incredibly valuable information! Thank you so much for sharing in such detail.
I’m pretty sure that Lee Valley has gates for vacuum hoses. They are designed for dust collection systems but they should adaptable.
Lee Valley does have gates, just not the particular one I'm looking for. Thank you for your help and for watching. God's peace.
Mr. 'Ed
looks like a great design!! I plan on making one using a 8 frame box. I found a gate online called a blast gate.
It is the best design bee vac that I have come across. The kill ratio is almost 0 and the release method is the best on the market. It is cumbersome and heavy, but worth the effort in the success it delivers. Let me know how it works for you. Thanks for watching, and I hope you continue to watch and comment on all my bee wrangling adventures. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Thanks Jeff!
You are very welcome, I hope it will help you to build one as well. God's peace Dan.
Mr. Ed
thanks mr. Ed what a great video
I hope the video was helpful. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out other of my bee wrangling adventures on my channel. I hope to hear from you again. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
You could make a piece of plastic that could fit into the space that’s left when you remove the screen.
Good idea, thank you for the suggestion. God's peace Cyndi.
Mr. Ed
You should've built a slider frame around your screen so it would be much easier to move in and out as well as a perfect fit.
Someone has suggested that, and I am going to do it. It is a great idea and will simplify matters. Thank you for the help and watching the video. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
A piece of hvac tin about 1½-2" wide, folded in half, soldered or brazed to the hardware cloth would be perfect, like adding a back to a saw such as a dovetail or miter handsaw
Nice video as usual Mr. Ed. By the way, you can use MDF wood instead of this type of wood, as i know MDF is lighter i mean much lighter than the type you using, hence, since you won't need it more than say 24 hrs only!
Good luck anyhow 😊👌
Glad you liked the video, and I hope there was some useful info in it that you can use. I have used this very same vacuum for over 5 years now, and it still preforms fantastic. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
The portal and gate look like the old hamster CritterTrails from back in the 80's & 90's. You should be able to find them on Amazon and I think PetCo. and Pet Smart still carry them. Wal-Mart may even carry them.
Thanks to viewers, I was able to locate the very same one. It's great to have help. God's peace Sean.
Mr. Ed
@@JeffHorchoff That's good that you were able to find to exact same one.
Design question: Why not make the screen separator section and the bottom section connectable, so that they hold the brood box in place tight?
And I guess you didn't make the pressure regulator shutter spring loaded because if the hose gets clogged you want more under pressure?
Tip: make the first 1/3rd of the separator screen from sheet metal, so you don't maim bees when you're partially pulling out the separator.
OK, are you an engineer? You are killing me with way to much info. Remember, I was a mailman, and my mind does not work that fast. It has been fried reading other peoples mail and magazines. Great ideas. Thanks for the help. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
I'll write more slowly next time. ;) I used to be an engineer, long time ago. And no, I did not know you were a mailman, but it does seem like a good match. I guess this all began when you accidentally opened someone's bee package? Glad I could help. Stay Splendid! And thank you for sharing!
Well explained. I'm going to build it, right after Holy Week
Nice job. I made the same design a couple years ago. Works great. But my 1/8 screen causes problems: difficult to slide in and my opening for the screen is just a tad too big, so small bees can escape. I am thinking of replacing the screen with a piece of plastic propolis trap. Will be a little thicker than the screen, I think. And perhaps easier to slide in and out.
Dave, check out the comment that Dead Bambi made. It is a good solution to the problem, and I am going to try it. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
Would a Spare Queen Excluder and Fine Mesh* Nailed or Glued around the edge, in place not be easier to use. ?
Aka like the Board used in a Demaree Hive Split process. (OK thats Solid) but the principle is the same. 😎
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Happy Beekeeping 2023
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Here in Scotland 🏴
I can buy cheap Green coloured Wind Break Mesh* (Garden Centre) it's usually Sold on a "Cut Yourself" Roll ! (Used to shelter young Hedge or Plants prone to Wind Burn etc...) It's great Stuff for making DIY Inner Screen Mesh Lids. You see the Bees Re: Food / Clustered / Alive Status, while no need for putting on a Bee Suit. And it makes a great Propolis Trap too. (All that beneficial Microbe health) stays with the Hive. 👍
You can Freeze these and the Propolis can be carefully Scratched Off. Nice !
If Metal Screen Mesh is used instead (harder to cut and more expensive) Then sure, heat gently that Metal Mesh (only !) to remove said Propolis. 👍
Great vid! In the middle of building one and this gave me some idea.s
Glad to help, I hope your build goes well. Here's the link to the gate I use to attach my hose to the box. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
www.shopvacstore.com/shop-vac-vacuum-gate-for-sawdust-collection-system-details.aspx
@@JeffHorchoff Thanks! Looks like they're out of that gate, however I'm going to 3D print one. Pretty simple design.
@@JeffHorchoff FYI just found this completely by accident looking at jointers! www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-dust-collector-air-flow-control-97497.html
Thanks... Informative video....I enjoy them all !!
Thanks Larry, I really appreciate you taking your time to follow my bee adventures. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
Excellent video Mr. Ed. You have inspired me to want to wrangle bees and you are teaching me the skills to do just that. Thank you for sharing and you are a gifted teacher. God bless you Mr. Ed. Oh, could give a link to the Robo vac you use?
Thank you for your blessing Blane, I deeply appreciate it. I am happy to hear you want to join the ranks of the Bee Wrangler Association. It's a lot of hard word, but for me, worth all the effort. Please keep me updated as to your progress. Make sure you have a bee vac. The one I used in this video is the one I use on all my bee wrangling adventures. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed
Mr Edd I have pretty much the same Vac but I had a solid screen rather than a removable one. I like this removable screen would certainly make life easier on the transfer. I will see if I can make one, Do you have a video where you make that screen? Tony
I'm sorry Tony, there is no other video concerning the removable screen. I'm positive if you built your own vac, you can figure out how to build the removable screen. Let me know how it goes. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
@@JeffHorchoff I was commenting while watching Mr Edd. Slap my wrist as you explained it very well and should be easy enough on the table saw :)
You've really inspired me Mr. Ed. It probably wont be for another 10 to 15 years before I'm in a place to do any beekeeping, but I adore the gentle way you remove the bees and that you use their hive comb to make them happy in their new configuration. r. Have you ever considered a FlowHive? And if so, whats your opinion of it? Thank you for caring for the bees and helping keep the world a better place, and God Bless.
Thank you for the blessing, I really appreciate your kindness. Here is a suggestion for you, don't wait to start bee keeping. Join a bee club in your area right now. That way, when you get your own bees, you will know much better on how to keep them. I am not a big fan of the flow hive even though I have one. I still prefer to extract honey the hard way. It is a good fit for some people, just not me.Thanks for watching. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
I would love to start right away! :) But we are a career military family and wont be in a position to settle into a permanent home for at least 10 years. maybe more. I'm in Japan right now and Bees are a no go in On Base housing. XD
I understand, I grew up following my dad all over the country and even to the Canal Zone due to his military life. It is a good life, and I don't regret one bit of it. Many experiences learned that otherwise would never have been. Best wishes, please keep me posted and continue to watch my bee adventures. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Woodcraft wood working site does offer gates for shop vac hoses that would work great
Thank you for your help Ethan, and for watching as well. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
Interesting design, but your description of the airflow is incorrect.
Everything inside the system, from the nozzle end of the hose into the impellers of the vacuum motor assembly, is under vacuum whenever the vacuum is running. There is no such thing as "dead air space".
However, there will be areas that have less turbulence, the area under the frames is not one of them. In between the frames is probably the area of least turbulence. The highest, for areas accessible to the bees, will be in the hose. I doubt seriously if the airflow slows down enough near the sloping floor for the bees to land and then crawl up to the frames.
You can reduce the turbulence a bit by using a larger diameter hose for most of the run and adapting that down to a smaller diameter for the short run at the working end. That would also reduce the air velocity in the hose - making it less physically traumatic to the bees.
That 3 HP motor/blower has far more air flow than you need - although it would be useful if you had 100 feet of vacuum hose. I would want that noisy thing as far way from where I was working as possible - if for no other reason to avoid hearing damage.
God bles you and you life.
Thank you so much for your blessing, it is greatly appreciated. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
I like that box Jeff will make us one like that
Watching your videos makes me feel Jesus Christ is still alive and guiding us 🤩🤩
You are to kind for sharing that. It is my hope and desire that when folks see me, they can see Christ in what I do. Thanks so much for watching. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
a very good educational video. i've wondered what the bees do once they get sucked up through the vac. And for another subject, how long have you been 'raising' bees? I'm sure you have mentioned it i've just forgotten. Thanks for what you do for the bees. :)
Hey! It's one of my most favorite sisters. The truth is, I have little tables set up in the box with glasses and bottles of wine for the bees relaxation while they are waiting to reunite with their comb. Nothing but the best for Mr. Ed's girls. I am now in the 6th year for keeping bees at the abbey.Before that, I had bees for over 10 years. Mr. Ed loves bees and his sister. God's peace.
Mr. Ed
Thanks I needed to see this blessings to you.❤️❤️❤️❤️
Very interesting, thank you sir
I hope the video will help you if you decide to build one yourself. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
Gotcha! If you’re killing bees, “Just close your hole (and listen to how Mr Ed does it) ”……sounds like good advice! And old instructor friend of mine in the Army said, “God gave you one mouth and TWO ears! ….think about it”-W. Gander SMSGT
After 27 of service, my dad also retired as SMSGT. God's peace brother.
Mr. Ed
Mr Ed what kind of shop vac did you use I loved this video thank you so much for this 😊
The exact type of motor is not the important factor, the important thing is to bleed off the excessive suction.Glad to hear you enjoyed the video, and I hope you will keep on watching. God's peace Alyssa.
Mr. Ed
Yo legit question: Why not skip the nerve-wracking part and put some velcro straps or hook and eye latches on the sides, to prevent the top of that bee screen from coming off when you've got the vacuum off? To prevent any catastrophe from happening with those super angry bees. You like to live dangerously!
The velcro is another great idea, thanks for sharing it. Us old guys really can't think to good, we just figure that's how everybody
did it before and they didn't get hurt to bad, so it must bee the only way to do it. Thanks for the tip and watching. God's peace.
Mr. Ed