Are you searching for the best bee vacuum? During my time as a beekeeper, I’ve had to remove bees from many interesting locations. Having a bee vacuum has made my job much easier. I want to help you find the best bee vacuum to make your job easier too!
What is the best bee vacuum? In my opinion, the best bee vacuum is the Colorado Bee Vac. This vacuum provides adjustable settings to remove bees safely and effectively. It also places the bees in a secure box during transport. When the bees arrive at their new hive, the bee vacuum has a removable bottom to make placement easier and less traumatic.
Deciding which bee vacuum will work best for you is a difficult decision. It’s important to know which qualities to look for, how a bee vacuum should work, and how the bee vacuum can benefit your beekeeping efforts. I’m going to walk you through your bee vacuum options and help you understand the functionality and benefits of owning a bee vacuum.
- Large capacity
- Easy to adjust vacuum pressure
- Empty by simply setting on top of your prepared deep and pull the slide
- Add additional catch boxes and catch multiple swarms
- Easy to transport with large ventilation area
Last update on 2023-03-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Best Bee Vacuum – Colorado Bee Vac Review
When purchasing a bee vacuum, most buyers want a sturdy product that’ll last for a decent amount of time. They’re also looking for a product which will get the job done without having a large number of fatalities to the hive.
Proper ventilation is another big-ticket necessity with bee vacuums, safe transportation, and ease when placing the bees into the new hive.
The Colorado Bee Vac is a bee box that has most of these qualities. It’s a bee box with a vacuum system built into it. The box is the size of most standard hive boxes and provides good ventilation for the bees while being transported. The vacuum offers an adjustable airflow setting which helps preserve life during the suction process.
This vacuum is electric, has a sturdy build, and runs quietly. It also comes with a one-year warranty. If you’re a crafty person, you may look at the style of this bee vacuum, in comparison to the price, and consider making your own for a fraction of the cost.
However, if you aren’t comfortable with carpentry skills or prefer the convenience of ordering a ready-made product, the price may be a bargain and well worth the value to you.
Pros:
- Well-built, quiet, and a functional size bee box
- Adjustable airflow
- Good ventilation
- One-year warranty
Cons:
- The product is electric, which could make it difficult to use in some circumstances
- It’s common to lose some bees during the suction process
- The price may prove to be an issue for some shoppers
Advantages of a Bee Vacuum
Bees are known for making a hive in awkward locations. It makes removing them next-to-impossible, and many times, you can only remove some while leaving the rest of the hive to die. A bee vacuum can benefit beekeepers in these situations for the following reasons:
It’s All in the Numbers
One hive can contain thousands of honeybees. In most cases, beekeepers must find the queen and take as many workers as they can transport on the comb they remove from the hive.
With a bee vacuum, you stand a much better chance at removing larger quantities of bees. This equates to less work the hive must do to rebuild when moved to their new location.
Easier Transport
If you’ve ever transported bees, you know how nerve-racking it can be. You fear losing bees along the way, or them getting loose in your vehicle.
When you use a bee vacuum, you don’t have to worry about hive boxes tipping over at every turn or bump in the road.
Instead, the bees are secure inside the bee vacuum, which gives you an extra layer of security during transport.
How to Use a Bee Vacuum
The idea of vacuuming bees may be new to you, but it makes the process of moving bees much easier. If you get a call to remove bees from an unwanted space, the bee vacuum will make it easy to get the bees to a safe location and will also provide a new hive for you at no extra cost. Just follow these few simple steps:
1. Adjust the Flow
You might assume bees would get hurt when being vacuumed from their hive, but they don’t. Before you begin sucking the bees out, adjust the airflow on the bee vacuum to the lowest setting.
This will allow the bees to be gently sucked out of their hive and into the vacuum. Once they’re in the vacuum, they’ll have air and enough room to move around for a short journey to their new hive.
2. Suck the Bees
When your bee vacuum settings are properly adjusted, it’s time to start sucking the bees out of the hive. Slide the vacuum’s wand over the comb to remove the bees.
Be careful not to harm the bees by applying too much force behind the wand. The airflow will pull the bees into the vacuum. Make sure you find the queen and get her into the vacuum. This is vital to the success of the hive.
3. Remove the Comb
Bees need a queen, a hive, brood, and comb to secure the future of their hive. Your queen should be in the vacuum at this point, but why make the bees start over when they get to their new hive?
You can cut the comb out of the current hive. This will move honey and brood to their new home. Attach the comb to new frames with rubber bands. By doing this, it lessens the amount of work the bees must do to their new hive.
4. Take the Bees Home
After you’ve collected the queen, the rest of the bees, the brood, comb, and honey, it’s time to go home. When your bees arrive at their new hive, place them inside. If your bee vacuum is a box, you can sit it on top of the hive and slide the mesh bottom out of the way. The bees will drop into the hive.
However, if you have made your own bee vacuum using a traditional vacuum with a bag, remove the bag from the vacuum and shake the bees into their new hive. You may wish to add a queen excluder to the hive’s entry or even close the hive for a few days until the bees get acclimated to their new location.
My Choice for the Best Bee Vacuum
If you’re going to rescue wild bees from situations which could possibly cause their hive and lives to be destroyed, a bee vacuum is a must.
You can make your own, or you can choose to purchase a bee vacuum. If you decide to take the route of purchasing one, my top pick is the Colorado Bee Vac.
It covers everything beekeepers need to make the bee removal, transportation, and placement process as simple as possible.
The bees are placed in a hive box immediately with proper ventilation. The product also offers an adjustable airflow to minimize the loss of life during the removal process.
Perhaps the best part of the design for this bee vacuum is the removable bottom in the hive box. It allows you to place the box on top of other hive boxes, remove the bottom, and the bees fall into their new home.
When searching for the best bee vacuum to collect wild beehives, the Colorado Bee Vac could be the right choice for you.