Was going to wait until Friday to check on them again, but its supposed to be stormy again here in a couple days, so I figured I'd try them again today. Night and day difference compared to last Thursday. This time around I saw plenty of capped syrup cells (can't really call those honey cells), but more importantly I could see single spots in the center of vast swaths of cells which could only have been eggs or very small larva (still hard for my newb eyes to tell the difference when looking in pristine snow white wax cells), and what looked to me to be several emergency queen cells. If they are preparing backup cells, or even if they're getting ready to supersede the package queen, thats fine by me. Let them have a queen they're happy with instead of one they simply tolerate. Important thing is I most definitely have a successful install. Which this late in the season I will admit to being a little anxious over, because if something happened it was highly unlikely I'd be able to find replacements. But, no worries, all is good.

Are you looking to get bees to move into the box or just attract them to watch them feed. If you just want them to come and eat, you might try granulated table sugar mixed with water. We generally feed ratio of 1:1 sugar/water in spring for building up an existing hive, but if you just want to attract bees try 2:1 ratio of sugar to water. It may attract more than just honey bees. If you're looking to get a swarm to move in you should bait the box with a swarm attractant which contains a pheremone to attract swarms looking for a potential home. A strip of beeswax foundation inside would also be helpful. The thing is, if you do get lucky and catch a swarm, they will have to be hived shortly afterward. You should do some research, reading, and be prepared with at least a 5 frame nuc box to put a swarm in and eventually a 10 frame hive body. You might also want to check out top bar style hives which you can build yourself, and are much less expensive to get started with. Look for a local supply house and a local beekeeping club for help. A word of caution. If you live in an area that has africanized bees (check with locals) you won't want to risk catching a swarm and it might not even be allowed.

That is not a honey bee. It looks like a bee in the megachilid family (leaf cutting and mason bee family). They are solitary and dont live in hives, though they can nest in aggregation in wood cavities. They ( and bees in general) are docile and will not sting unless you try to touch them. Really. I cannot stress enough that there is no need to remove bees from children's environments. There actually are stingless honeybee species in central and south america.this is not one of those.

Hey Randy! Congrats on the bees! I hope they are good and docile for you. Two years ago I purchased a hive from a fellow in Tulsa. I went, thinking that I was just purchasing the hive and frames, etc. But discovered that he was selling me the bees too, which was great. Anyway, they fit all the description of Russian Blacks. But were they ever testy! I ended up requeening. Anyway, that's not to say that all Russian Blacks are hot. I've heard that there is a lot of variability with them, and someone may be making good strides in selection. I currently have a hive of Italians and a hive of Buckfasts. Both seem reasonably calm. When we lived in Mexico we had bees and ended up with Africanized bees much of the time. I would have to requeen almost every year in order to keep them managable. Would bring in two queens a year, from Texas and raise more from them. Half Africans were okay. Three quarter Africans were HOT! When I got that hive in 2006, and discovered their temperament, I initially wondered if they were mixed with Africans. But they were not as vehement when they attacked. So, I did research on strains of bees being used in the USA currently. Appearance wise, they matched the Russian Black. George Tahlequah, OK