Today I took out the can of syrup that came with the package. I picked up a cheap hummingbird feeder from the store after I found one where I could remove the feeding ports. Now it is just an upside down jar with a sloped pool at the bottom. I dissolved some granulated sugar in an equal amount of boiling water and then filled the feeder. The can of syrup was still pretty heavy, but the syrup was coming out when I picked it up. So, I know the holes weren't clogged or anything.
There were a lot of dead bees in the package when I installed it. The bees haven't quite gotten around to giving their comrades the proper send off. But, that is probably because they are busy building--wait for it--COMB! I peaked under the bars near and on the edge of the cluster and didn't see anything, except for a lot of bees. Then, I finally picked up the bar right over the middle of the cluster and I saw the beautiful yellow comb peaking through between the bees. It was at least an inch or two long, but that's all the farther I lifted the bar. I didn't want to disturb their work when I knew they were concentrating.
Now, I just need to keep them fed and let them do their thing. Hopefully, the bees on the swarm side get in the spirit of competition and decide that they really need to start building too. They may have already built some. I'll check this weekend when it isn't so rainy.
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