So I think I finally got all these last little problems figured out. Tomorrow morning at 8AM will be the true test but I was running around outside my shop sucking up house flies and then opening the top and checking to be sure they survived the great suckup.
I added a baffle device by splicing the main hose and attaching a flow valve off a T-connector on the side of the whole contraption. This way I can adjust it as needed due to conditions etc.
With the baffle completely closed it will collapse the five gallon bucket that is suppose to hold the bees but with the baffle open it sucked up those house flies just as easy as ya please and when I opened the top they all flew away rather irritated.
I also added a quarter inch of soft cork on the bottom of the catcher bucket and used a bit of my Number five hardware cloth to wrap a stand off screen around the PVC suction section that comes in from the main vacuum. Hopefully this will keep any bees from getting partially sucked into the PVC tube when the bucket get's full.
All together the entire contraption doesn't weigh a significant amount I ought to be able to tie it off on the top of my ladder and get the bees sucked up. I went by to check on them this afternoon and they are still all balled up there. It maybe too late to actually save them as long as they have been exposed but this was good cut out practice for me anyway.
Tomorrow is the big test....
Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!
I gotta have one those...think of all the mosquitoes I could vac to hell.
ReplyDeleteStephen - The entire thing prolly ran me $60.00 by now and two days of fiddling. I hope it addresses the issues I had with the other bee vacs I have tried. They kill so many bees.
DeleteAmazing, imagine what it would cost if the government had made one. Good luck tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteSf - Ya. And then I could have retired halfway through making it and then double dipped on income for another 2 decades.
DeleteThe cage thing (last picture) is to keep the bees from getting out the exhaust? It looks a little like a muzzle break.
ReplyDeleteRuss - Well I was afraid the bees would get sucked part way into the inner tube. They can't get through those holes but I thought they might clog it up or get ripped apart partially sucked into it. I hope the screen is standing away from the intake far enough to avoid those issues.
DeleteNice! If it didn't hurt the flies, the bees should have a safe trip.
ReplyDeleteMV - I am assuming the bees being heavier they may require me to shut the baffle a little bit. I am most worried about getting so many they clog up the intake at this point. Guess I will see tomorrow.
DeleteRube Goldberg lives! I hope it works out and the bees are saved.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! Now my question is, how are you going to get them out of there and in the home of your chosing?
ReplyDeletePP - you blow me away with all of your nifty contraptions! i have just caught up reading all of the posts about the wild hive and cannot believe all that you are doing to try and get them. and i'm with izzy - how are you going to get them out of the contraption and into a home?
ReplyDeletecan't wait for an update. yer awesome, buddy! your friend,
kymber