> >WHat devices are there for capturing swarms from high locations?
 
> I have not tried this but...... I purchased a bunch of miscellaneous
> equipment from a beekeeper who had shut down and in the purchase I
> received a swarm catcher.  The dissadvantage is that it runs on
> electricity but I will try to explain it anyway.  It is a small
> vacuum cleaner attached to a box that is just large enough for a
> super and on which the lid seals well. On one end of this box there
> is a hole onto which is attached a long vacuum hose.  The hole has a
> piece of leather covering it on the inside as a one-way-trap.  The
> air comes in the hose, through the sealed box and into the vaccuum,
> leaving the bees in the box.
 
I wrote an article about twenty yeras ago for the now defunct
Canadian Bee Journal describing the aparatus.  So if you happen to
have a copy on hand...
 
The system I used at that time was a honey super with a screened hole
and a non screened hole in a tight fitting lid.  The vacuum attached
to the screened hole and the capturing hose to the other.  A piece of
plywood was nailed on the other side.
 
The screen area must be sufficient to not get clogged with bees and
also not in line with the stream of incoming bees.  As for the
incoming bees, controlling speed is a problem.  Too fast and the bees
all get damaged.  Too slow and the thing won't work. A pad of sponge
or cloth in line with the inlet provides a cushion for them.  Small
intake hoses give higher velocities.  Rough hoses can damage bees if
they bend too sharply.
 
Having said all that, I do use a 5 gallon pail with two holes in the
lid and a vacuum for cleaning bees off the honey house windows, but
never for swarms.
 
For swarms, I always use a carboard box with flaps that
close-- as described in previous discusssions of swarms and the
handling thereof.
 
BTW a 'Dust Buster' works well for removing a few bees from a window
without damaging them.
 
 
 
 
Regards
 
Allen
 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                                         VE6CFK
RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta  Canada T0M 1Y0
Internet:[log in to unmask] & [log in to unmask]
Honey. Bees, & Art <http://www.internode.net/~allend/>