Bee Vaccum

This has nothing to do with cooking and from time to time you will see a post like that on here. We raise pigs, chicken and bees so they are technically food related. This post is on a bee vacuum. Hubby is the bee keeper I am just the educator, picture and video taker and equipment getter.  We researched bee vacuums for a while. They were in price range from $200 to $400. We decided we could build our own. Here is a description of the bee vacuum and the way he built it.

First off let me let everyone know this does not kill the bees. It removes them with out killing them as long as the suction on your machine is not to strong. You can put an adjustable pressure slide on your vacuum but we just used a small vacuum and had no problem with the suction. Hubby tested this one out on a very angry hive. His suit got stung over 200 times in an hour. He came home built this went back and sucked them up and rehived them. No damage to the bees. Just remember not to pick up the inside box by the sides they can still sting thru this.

 Here is the box built out of just plain wood. There are bars in the bottom to keep the inside box  (the one full of bees) from sitting on the bottom and creating to much suction. There is the hose for the vacuum in the front of the box.  When the lid is open you can see the inside of the shop vac.

 This is the inside box where the bees get put by the vacuum. Notice the small screen. You do not want to use something the bees can crawl out of.  Notice the hole in the side of the box for the hose.

 Here is showing the small shop vac used. It is caulked in so there is no air leaking around it. The hinges are standard cabinet hinges.

 Here is the bee box sitting in the box and the vacuum hose is attached to it as well as the out side of the box. The bees go thru this hose into the box.

 There is caulk on the top of the box to form a lock when the suction is on. This is clear bathroom sealant. Put the caulk on when the box is open. Let it dry and when you shut the lid it forms a tight seal.

This took an afternoon to make out of scrap lumber from the bee hive stash. (We build our own hives and I will go thru that part in a few posts.) This cost us very little. We already had the shop vac and the lumber but if I went and bought this it still would not cost any where near $200 to make it.

If you have any questions about this please feel free to ask. If you want more information on bees ask away too. If I dont know it Hubby or his friend will and I will get you the answers.

Pillsbury French Bread Pizza

My Family loves Pizza so I am always coming up with new ways to make it. The crust is the Pillsbury French Bread loaf that comes in the tube. I cut it into 4ths. I rolled it out. On all but one I just topped it and cooked it. The one that was different (Hubby's of course) I brushed with melted butter and baked until crisp. I then topped it and baked it. This turned out a really crisp crust.

I have used canned biscuits, crescent rolls, and the actual pizza dough in the tubes also.  I always keep the toppings in the freezer and in the pantry to throw pizzas together at a moments notice. These are great for when the kids friends come over.

Peanut Butter Honey Icing

I am diabetic and a wife of a bee keeper so I am always looking for recipes using honey or ones that a diabetic can use. This is one that fits both.

I got the recipe from another blog and redid it according to taste and what I had on hand. Here is the original and the blog post at the bottom.

Sunni’s Peanut Butter Frosting recipehttp://www.sunnimaravillosa.com/node/1210

1 C. best quality natural peanut butter, smooth or chunky (real PB, not processed stuff like Jif or Skippy), stirred thoroughly before measuring
1/4–1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 C. butter, barely softened


Add salt to peanut butter and stir well to blend. Taste and add more salt if necessary to heighten the peanut butter flavor. Add honey and vanilla; stir. Add butter and beat to combine well.


Makes enough frosting for one large sheet cake, or an 8– or 9-inch layer cake.




Here is what I did. I used regular Peanut butter, and Blue Bonnet Margarine the first time around. I also used a whole stick.  It was a thin consistency at first but after I refrigerated it, it hardened up nicely to a piping consistency. When I used real butter in it, it got thicker in the fridge. It was not spreadable and did not taste as nice. 

This is really good on a chocolate cake. I am also planning on using the real butter recipe for a candy filling for Christmas.