I have a hose from a old hair dryer (garage sales are your friend). It's ribbed but not rough on the inside (if you can catch what I.m getting at), really flexible, and came with a detachable nozzle end which is nice. I have a bucket vac, and take the vac to the bees, so the four foot length is plenty. It also is semitransparent, although I haven't had any clogs to deal with yet. Gardening Fireman - a "shrieking" noise? How strong is your vac!? (Seriously, I know noise can occur even at low velocity).
JC