Rational parameters of TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) are the key to ensuring efficient and safe tunnel construction. Machine learning (ML) has become the main method for predicting operating parameters. Grid Search and optimization algorithms, such as Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), are often used to find the hyper parameters of ML models but suffer from excessive time and low accuracy. In order to efficiently construct ML models and enhance the accuracy of predicting models, a BPSO (Beetle antennae search Particle Swarm Optimization) algorithm is proposed. Based on the PSO algorithm, the concept of BAS (Beetle Antennae Search) is integrated into the updating process of an individual particle, which improves the random search capability. The convergence of the BPSO algorithm is discussed in terms of inhomogeneous recursive equations and characteristic roots. Then, based on the proposed BPSO prototype, a hybrid ML model BPSO-XGBoost (eXtreme Gradient Boosting) is proposed. We applied the model to the Hangzhou Central Park tunnel project for the prediction of screw conveyer rotational speed. Finally, our model is compared with existing methods. The experimental results show that the BPSO-based model outperforms other traditional ML methods. The BPSO-XGBoost is more accurate than PSO-XGBoost and BPSO-RandomForest for predicting the speed. Also, it is verified that the hyper parameters optimized by the BPSO are better than those optimized by the original PSO. The comprehensive prediction performance ranking of models is as follows: BPSO-XGBoost > PSO-XGBoost > BPSO-RF > PSO-RF. Our models have preferable engineering application value.