Techniques and equipment questions

[KONASDAD]

I now have a few cutouts, hanging swarms and tree limb removals under my belt. I struggle w/ the following issues and i am sure you guys can educate me so i can improve.
1. Stragglers- all but one of my removals had lots of stargglers which necessiatted me going back a handful of times to each location. In one I have no idea if i got the queen, in another i saw queen and put her in hive-but still thousands of bees were hanging in a swarm like clump on both cutouts. I used bee brush and pan and was able to get many, but not close to all. Do i need a bee vac? if so, suggest a few brands. Can you indiscriminantly vacuum up bees if you have no idea where queen is? Does it have to be a "bee vac" or do wet/dry vac work?

2.  on hanging swarms, I was able to get decent access and make a good shake and about 95% of bees made into nuc box and I closed up. I looked for queen w/ stargglers and didn't see her. I waited about 1/2 hr and still no visible queen. I left w/ nuc and it rained so hard no bees could have survived. In hanging swarms, is the queen in the middle? Do you presume the queen came down w/ the mass of bees?

3. In one cutout, I dropped bomb after days of catching stargglers. Many suggested bee-go or similar products. This drives the bees from the arae, but wont they return in a few hrs? Thats why I used sparay, which obviously broke my bee heart.

[Robo]

I found a bee vac to be my most valuable tool.  I do quite a few removals that are over an hour away and return visits just aren't feasible.   With the bee vac,  I get 95+% of the bees.   The vac is the last thing I pack up,  so any foraging bees that return while I'm cleaning/packing up get one last suck with the vacuum before I leave.  I instruct the owner to spray any stragglers down with dishsoap water after dusk.   I never had a call to return.

On cut outs, I suck the combs one at a time as I cut them out AFTER looking for the queen.  I find the queen 80% of the time.   For hanging swarms I just suck the hole thing.


rob...

[KONASDAD]

what vac are you using?

[Robo]

what vac are you using?

I started with the one from the plans at beesource -> http://www.beesource.com/plans/beevac/index.htm

But now am using one of my own design -> http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/beekeeping/bee-vac/

[Scott Derrick]

I agree with Robo. I tell the folks that the stragglers will leave within 24 to 48 hours. I have also never received a call back.

[Understudy]

I use a shop vac and the double bucket method.
I however agree with Michael a shop vac is a bee killer.
I use mine only near the end of a cut out to get bees in tight areas. I use just enough suction to get the bees into the bucket and never fill the bucket up with all the bees.

Sincerely,
Brendhan