My attemp at Robo's bee vac

Started by ShaneJ, April 05, 2012, 05:48:12 AM

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ShaneJ

April 05, 2012, 05:48:12 AM
This is the whole thing assembled. The top board that takes the vacuum hose is fixed in place as I don't have the equipment to be able to make it slide in and out. I'll make a second top when I get access to some better wood working equipment.





This is where the vacuum hose slots in and where you can adjust the amount of suction.





I'm using household insect mesh under the lid.





Where the business end plugs into.





I'm going to try and use 38mm ID pool hose as its cheap and readily available. This one is 3m long.





Inside the hose. It looks worse than it really is. It is fairly smooth to the touch.





This girl supervised the whole project. Didn't help though.




I gave the vac a bit of a test this after noon on some of my own bees. With the regulator fully open on top, there is just enough suction at the tip to suck in a bee if you give it a nudge or if they have a loose grip.

You'll notice in the pictures that I don't have a cutout shim, this is because I don't have the tools to be able to make something to allow some mesh to slide into. Also we don't have "hardware cloth" readily available that Robo uses. Anything that I have access to isn't ridged enough for the job. I'll have to think up something to use for the job.
Shane

asprince

#1
April 05, 2012, 08:01:07 AM
Looks neat. You are wise to use the pool hose. The smooth inside saves lots of bees. You could probably use just a little more suction. Changing from fly screen to 8 mesh hardware cloth would help. The fly screen creates some restriction. I have used my Robo bee vac to hive hundreds of swarms and cutouts.

Good Luck,
Steve
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resembalance to the first. - Ronald Reagan

Grieth

#2
April 05, 2012, 09:53:25 AM
I don't know why,  but we can't buy hardware cloth in Australia at any of the major hardware suppliers. I haven, t found any here.
"The time has come," the walrus said, "to talk of many things:
Of shoes and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages and kings"
Lewis Carroll

ShaneJ

#3
April 05, 2012, 10:11:10 AM
Yeah I cant find it anywhere. I can find stainless mesh but its not cheap.
Shane

JP

#4
April 05, 2012, 10:21:02 AM
Quote from: Grieth on April 05, 2012, 09:53:25 AM
I don't know why,  but we can't buy hardware cloth in Australia at any of the major hardware suppliers. I haven, t found any here.

Even here we have to usually special order #8 as 1/4" seems to be the smallest most hardware stores carry in stock.

Good job Shane!


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

ShaneJ

#5
April 05, 2012, 11:54:08 AM
Thanks mate. Hope to get over your way some time to see one of your jobs in real.
Shane

G3farms

#6
April 05, 2012, 01:18:41 PM Last Edit: April 05, 2012, 03:23:02 PM by G3farms
Looks like a fine job to me.

Just need a cut out to go get now!!
those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

Bees will be bees and do as they please!

Rex Smith

#7
April 05, 2012, 03:02:22 PM
Do you use any gasket between the layers?  If so - you might have a bit better suction/flow if there's less loss around the seam of the wood.

G3farms

#8
April 05, 2012, 03:23:45 PM
A roll of 1/4" weather stripping works great!!
those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

Bees will be bees and do as they please!

Intheswamp

#9
April 05, 2012, 05:41:36 PM
If he has the regulator wide open and the suction will just pull a bee off the comb at the tip of the hose it sounds like he has plenty of suction...am I missing something???   :?

Ed
www.beeweather.com 
American blood spilled to protect the freedom and peace of people all over the world.  320,000 USA casualties in WWI, 1,076,000 USA casualties in WWII, 128,000 USA casualties in the Korean War, 211,000 casualties in the Vietnam "conflict", 57,000 USA casualties in "War on Terror".  Benghazi, Libya, 13 USA casualties. These figures don't include 70,000 MIA.  But, the leaders of one political party of the United States of America continue to make the statement..."What difference does it make?".

"We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism."..."The press is our chief ideological weapon." - Nikita Khrushchev

"Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they wont come to yours." - Yogi Berra

jmblakeney

#10
April 05, 2012, 05:52:14 PM
May need to redo the regulator with a larger hole saw.

James
"I believe the best social program is a job...." - Ronald Reagan

Intheswamp

#11
April 05, 2012, 05:58:38 PM
Quote from: jmblakeney on April 05, 2012, 05:52:14 PM
May need to redo the regulator with a larger hole saw.

James
Ditto.

Ed
www.beeweather.com 
American blood spilled to protect the freedom and peace of people all over the world.  320,000 USA casualties in WWI, 1,076,000 USA casualties in WWII, 128,000 USA casualties in the Korean War, 211,000 casualties in the Vietnam "conflict", 57,000 USA casualties in "War on Terror".  Benghazi, Libya, 13 USA casualties. These figures don't include 70,000 MIA.  But, the leaders of one political party of the United States of America continue to make the statement..."What difference does it make?".

"We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism."..."The press is our chief ideological weapon." - Nikita Khrushchev

"Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they wont come to yours." - Yogi Berra

G3farms

#12
April 05, 2012, 06:04:20 PM
Good call on the larger hole, but just about right right. Need to be careful sucking bees off of comb with nectar and honey, you can also suck it out and then you will have a big ball of dead sticky bees in the bottom of the vac.

On hot days I leave mine running or if I do turn it off open the top to let them have air and maybe spritz of water.

The weather stripping is for boxes that might be a little damaged.
those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

Bees will be bees and do as they please!

ShaneJ

#13
April 05, 2012, 09:21:54 PM
Quote from: Intheswamp on April 05, 2012, 05:41:36 PM
If he has the regulator wide open and the suction will just pull a bee off the comb at the tip of the hose it sounds like he has plenty of suction...am I missing something???   :?

Ed

You're right Ed. If I close up the regulator there is plenty of suction.

I was planning on putting weather stripping around the edges to help seal it up, but it turned out to be not required.
Shane

beyondthesidewalks

#14
April 07, 2012, 08:24:30 PM
And a little bit of duct tape for those boxes that have an air leak or two.  Gotta get your man card with the duct tape... :)

AllenF

#15
April 07, 2012, 09:59:46 PM
I second the duct tape.   The silver foil tape is still considered duct tape and works best.  I use foil tape to seal up hive boxes that have rotted holes in them.   With some white paint, all looks good.

divemaster1963

#16
April 07, 2012, 10:49:41 PM
for the slip screen. you could cut a 3/4 frame and then slot cut three sides and thru cut the fourth side. then get screen strip wood and staple the screen to it and slide it into the groove. I have done this for a freind and it works.

john
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