Beekeeping as a career?

[Bob Wilson]

Jurassic.
I wonder if your livelihood is the result of swarms cast from professional apiaries and hobbyists in the area or if it is a spreading,  wild feral population cohabitating with humans in all the buildings and structures in the area.

[Terri Yaki]

I'd also like to know what you do with all of those colonies. Forgive me if you already posted that but I didn't see it. I haven't read everything 100%.

[animal]

Turn 'em loose in the mega-rich neighborhoods and circulate business cards in the area about a month or two later. 

[Ben Framed]

Turn 'em loose in the mega-rich neighborhoods and circulate business cards in the area about a month or two later. 

animal, I suspect you are a VERY successful businessman!! 

[JurassicApiary]

Oh yea! You?ve got it going on! Doesnt sound like you have missed a trick! What type bee vacs are you using?

Phillip

Thanks, Philip, I've definitely dialed things in over the last three years that I've been performing removals.  I use the Colorado Bee Vac.  I've got two CB vac systems and three catch boxes which allows me to perform several removals in a short time frame if needed. 

[Ben Framed]

Awesome I was simply curious, since you use yours professionally.  I made mine which is very similar to the Colorado. It is absolutely awesome! They are very handy for swarm recoveries as well.. There is not a Spring that I do not find it very handy.
Another top notch bee vac that I learned about 'after' I had built mine, was designed by our very on fellow member Robo. His vac is also widely used and is world famous! It's named the Robo Vac. or Brushkill vac.  I can't remember which.

Jurassic what do you do for back up electricity when no fixed electrical outlets are handy?

Thanks,
Phillip

[JurassicApiary]

Jurassic.
I wonder if your livelihood is the result of swarms cast from professional apiaries and hobbyists in the area or if it is a spreading,  wild feral population cohabitating with humans in all the buildings and structures in the area.

Bob, while I'm certain that some of the removals I've performed were the result of hobbyists (customer's have told me of neighbors or nearby homes that keep bees), I believe that majority are the result of wild feral populations swarming.

[JurassicApiary]

Awesome I was simply curious, since you use yours professionally.  I made mine which is very similar to the Colorado. It is absolutely awesome! They are very handy for swarm recoveries as well.. There is not a Spring that I do not find it very handy.
Another top notch bee vac that I learned about 'after' I had built mine, was designed by our very on fellow member Robo. His vac is also widely used and is world famous! It's named the Robo Vac. or Brushkill vac.  I can't remember which.

Jurassic what do you do for back up electricity when no fixed electrical outlets are handy?

Thanks,
Phillip

I've tried looking at Robo's Bushkill Vac, but his site (or at least the one on the forum) is no longer functioning. I would have been happy to have used his as it seems adaptable for 8-frame hives, which is exclusively what I use, but I crafted a transition shim to narrow the opening of the 10 frame to fit on my 8-frame hives.

As to powering the system in remote areas without 110v available, I have a 1000w pure sine wave power inverter which runs my vac off of my vehicle battery.  I'm installing a second battery in the new van as it has a heavy duty alternator and a second battery compartment (yes, it's actually designed for 2 batteries!) and I'll put an isolator in-line to ensure that the second battery doesn't interact with the primary and mess with the vehicle's electrical system (i.e., the isolator will allow the current to only flow in one direction...allowing the alternator to charge it, but power is prevented from flowing the other way so the vehicle and subsequent electronics and systems can't pull power from it.  So, only my inverter will be able to draw off it down line--hence the function of the isolator)...of course I could bypass the isolator in a pinch if the main battery were to die for any reason to start the vehicle (It's nice to have options!)

[JurassicApiary]

Turn 'em loose in the mega-rich neighborhoods and circulate business cards in the area about a month or two later. 

HAHAHA.  You know, I have one business client that I've removed so many bees from under their trailers, if I worked for them, I would think that this beekeeper guy is driving down the road after each removal and just letting them go, LOL....  That said, however, I hold myself to high moral and ethical standards and have never done that.

Terri Yaki, I currently have three apiaries dispursed around the island that I can place bees at so I have the ability to ensure they are relocated far enough away from the removal site so as not to return to their original home no matter where they are on the island.

[Terri Yaki]

So you keep them all. That means you have a fast and ever growing number of hives.

[Ben Framed]

"JurassicApiary"
"As to powering the system in remote areas without 110v available, I have a 1000w pure sine wave power inverter which runs my vac off of my vehicle battery.  I'm installing a second battery in the new van as it has a heavy duty alternator and a second battery compartment (yes, it's actually designed for 2 batteries!) and I'll put an isolator in-line to ensure that the second battery doesn't interact with the primary and mess with the vehicle's electrical system (i.e., the isolator will allow the current to only flow in one direction...allowing the alternator to charge it, but power is prevented from flowing the other way so the vehicle and subsequent electronics and systems can't pull power from it.  So, only my inverter will be able to draw off it down line--hence the function of the isolator)...of course I could bypass the isolator in a pinch if the main battery were to die for any reason to start the vehicle (It's nice to have options!)"

It is nice to have options, again as a professional Honey Bee remover you have it mapped out! Thanks Jurassic for the insight into your operation. And congratulations on your success!!

Phillip

[BeeMaster2]

Jurassic,
Were did you get the diode to use as an isolator? Can you send me the specs on it.
I have a 3000 watt inverter that I want to put in my Hyson side by side, with a separate battery from the vehicle and let the vehicle keep it charged.
Jim Altmiller

[Ben Framed]

it's exhausting, hot work.

JurassicApiary do you have a fan that you take along as part of your equipment?

[JurassicApiary]

Jurassic,
Were did you get the diode to use as an isolator? Can you send me the specs on it.
I have a 3000 watt inverter that I want to put in my Hyson side by side, with a separate battery from the vehicle and let the vehicle keep it charged.
Jim Altmiller

Jim, this is the isolator I am installing: https://a.co/d/4vU5Kzt

It's rated up to 140 Amps (they have a 300A version as well).  It's not a traditional diode, rather, it's a relay.  A perk to this is that it doesn't yield a voltage drop like the diodes do among some other benefits.

A good explanation from another forum that I read up on before making my decision:

>>
The Automatic Charge Relays and Voltage Sensing Relays (different names for essentially the same product) don't have any voltage drop and do something that the diodes can't. They allow the alt. to first bring the starting battery back up to full charge before connecting the [second] battery to charge it. Diodes force the alt. to charge both at the same time, even when they are not at the same state of charge. Relays also disconnect when the charge voltage drops, be that because you turned the engine off or there was some large draw on the starting battery.

Can buy an ACR/VSR in combination with a marine battery switch so that you can force the two batteries to be paralleled or even switch the starting chores to the [second] battery if need be.
<<
Credit:  IH8Mud.com Forum, User: ntsqd
You can read that thread here: https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/relay-isolator-vs-diode-isolator.577985/


I hope this helps. :)

[JurassicApiary]

it's exhausting, hot work.

JurassicApiary do you have a fan that you take along as part of your equipment?

You betcha.  I have a portable Milwaukee M18 fan that can be plugged in when power is available onsite, and also be powered with M18 tool batteries for working in areas where 110v power is not available.  All of my power tools are the M18 Fuel line so the batteries are interchangeable.  The right tools really make a difference (as does quality tools that you can depend on).

[Ben Framed]

"The right tools really make a difference (as does quality tools that you can depend on)."

Totally agreed Jurassic!  A fan can really make a BIG difference on hot day, in the hot sun, especially when the bees are in a hard place to work.. 

[BeeMaster2]

Thanks Jurassic,
I saved the Amazon link.
I?m hoping the battery that I put on my old Rhino is still good.
Jim Altmiller

[Robo]

I've tried looking at Robo's Bushkill Vac, but his site (or at least the one on the forum) is no longer functioning.

Not sure what URL you were trying, but the current site (since 2011) is beevac.com   I'm sure there are quite a few older posts in the forum that point to earlier URLs.

[JurassicApiary]

I've tried looking at Robo's Bushkill Vac, but his site (or at least the one on the forum) is no longer functioning.

Not sure what URL you were trying, but the current site (since 2011) is beevac.com   I'm sure there are quite a few older posts in the forum that point to earlier URLs.

Indeed, I clicked a link on an earlier thread that was going to a different URL.  Thanks for the current link, Robo.

P.S. - I dig the product demo video at Burt's where he got started with Burt's Bees.  Neat little historical touch there...beekeep on!