Equipment - Swarm Collecting

"Free Range Bees"

Rohe Bee Ranch

Equipment - Swarm Collecting

For collecting swarms and rescuing honeybees I have constructed a Bee Vacuum. This is basically a wooden box that contains a package bee cage and is connected to a ShopVac. A long hose is also connected to the intake of the Bee Vac 2005 and is used to suck up the bees. The bees are harmlessly collected in the package box inside the Bee Vac 2005. When you open the Bee Vac 2005 you cover the top opening of the package box with a small piece of wood (the one that came with it to cover the syrup can) and remove the package box. You then can install the bees into a hive box like you would package bees. This Bee Vac 2005 is great for collecting swarms in hard to access places like buildings, thick tree branches or trunks, or other structures where you would damage honeybees by brushing them down and off with your hands. You also have a higher success rate for getting the Queen and not loosing her as well as getting more of the bees.

Typical Bee Vac 2005 set-up for swarm collection

I couldn’t cut any branches or shake these bees off so the Bee Vac 2005 was the perfect tool for the job.