SSAWKA
BEE VACUUM.
(”W” is pronounced as “V”.
Original text in Polish) LINK
It is common phenomenon in honey bees hives, that in certain time in late spring or summer there is overabundance of bees called often as “overflowing”. These phenomenons are easily observed in Top Bar Hive (TBH) if such hive has a window or even without it.
In a certain moment we will notice that bees are covering last combs with very thick layer much more then what looks as normal.
This is natural thing, a result of natural proliferating feature of bees without which would be no bees and no honey. The next we will see is that suddenly there are very significantly less bees in this hive, and last combs are hardly covered with bees. This means that large part of bees departed together with queen, and we know such thing as “swarm”.
Beekeepers don’t like it because these bees with queen are lost for them usually.
There are numerous ways and means to cope with it described in literature, so if I add some more will not change things too much in generally, however for TBH beekeepers it could be helpful.
Finding the critical day directly before a swarm is very difficult in traditional hives. TBH with windows let observe what is going on inside and let decide fairly accurate, with some experience, in which moment to act, before bees do it.
Optimal procedure will certainly be discussed but the first thing on my mind before such discussion starts was technical solution of collecting bees.
Instructions on brushing and shaking didn’t satisfy me from the beginning when I stood the first time in front of commercial packet of bees. At that time I have think out a method of “Little Cardboard”, which I described in Part I. Presently, standing in front of matter of collecting bees from a hive it was a challenge. In the result emerged specific device I called “Ssawka”, (“W” is pronounced as “V” in Polish)
General term for such device "bee vacuum" is already known with its different designs, mainly for catching swarms. Mine bee vacuum, Ssawka, can be used for the same purpose quite well but I designed and made it not for this. In English the word „sucker” could be close to the Polish meaning of suction device, ssawka, but I don’t like its pejorative meaning, so I am calling it here "The Bees Collector” or “Extractor”, as the particular bee vacuum.
This device in conjunction with regular house vacuum cleaner, or as better, if away from home, small battery powered or car powered slightly modified vacuum cleaner, serves me well as very practical and valuable tool without cloud of angry bees. I think that it will also find its use in hands of TB keepers that have more than two similar to mine hives and also in hands of traditional hives beekeepers.
Sucking bees from hive can be performed, at least as I am doing it, without any irritation of bees, (except bees sucked in) and without sting proof "armor" or even without a veil on face. For novices however carefulness is advised before making such decision. Collected bees are rather highly irritated, excited and if got out from collector they act effectively without any warnings. This state of excitement could be reduced by injecting a bit of clean sprayed water through the cover with a net placed in place of removed suction tube. This excitement consumes a lot of energy what is visible in strongly elevated temperature and condensation of water vapor inside Collector. Good practice would be to put them in cool place if such place is available if not intending to use them immediately.
Bees could be kept in Ssawka for some time, about 1 day (I didn’t test longer). For longer time I transfer those to old commercial packet box with some sugar syrup, or self made smaller similar box. To make such box is easy and using it is more versatile because it fit also for nucs and serves any purpose efficiently, easy, and safely for bees and beekeeper, including the same purpose as commercial packet.
Application of Collector let me very easily, without revolution, turmoil, brushing, and clouds of angry bees to collect quickly all bees which are in surplus, or from any place, and then, equally easy to do with them something, depending on variety of purposes. There are at least a few.
1. Having a queen in a little cage installing new colony as it is done from commercial packet.
2. Add bees temporary in cage to existing colony to enrich it in its volume.
3. Give it to a friend or sale.
4. Having it in small, practical container, use it for any kind of purposes someone could think out, or store it for some time.
5. Capture a swarm.
6. Emptying collector to any type of different container which has appropriate hole to accommodate the neck of collector after removing suction tube. It is very easy and practical. Strong blow by mouth from opposite side will speed up the process of emptying.
Some of the pictures are archived history of tries including technique depicted on animated picture. The current technique of emptying ssawka is through the neck directly to a hive or nuc, or to any kind of container with opening accommodating the neck of ssawka.
Wojciech Właźliński
July 20, 2008
10 min. video on CD. Contact via e-mail if interested
