Cameron,
You sound like the perfect kind of neighbor to have - doing things exactly right. When I'm sitting out on my back porch come about September, the back yard (field) looks like a main runway for the Monarchs headed to Mexico! There's a very uniform movement of them from north to south with several coming by every minute of the daylight hours - it's really fun to watch.

The honeybees certainly can be from a wild (feral) colony - not all have died out (like the news reports would have you believe). But in the same breath, I would say, it's equally possible that one of your neighbors has a hive or two around that you're unaware of. Generally, the bees will forage within a radius of about two or three miles. However, they could be much closer also (a few hundred yards). There are "old timey" ways to locate the hive or tree where their hive is but you can at least get a sense of the direction to it by putting out a few drops of honey on a paper plate or jar lid. Once the bees have discovered the honey, they will 'load up' on it and fly directly back to their hive - just (carefully) observe their direction of flight. They might make a couple of small circles to get their orientation but then they will unmistakably dart off in a particular direction.

The vitex is great for attracting the bees (as is certain types of lavender). In a different posting, someone else asked about the 'bee bee tree' - that's also great for the bees. The tree grows pretty fast and doesn't get too big and I've stood under it when it seemed to me, to be raining nectar! They also love the blooms of the lime tree (basswood) tree which grows in the mountain part of NC.

Txbeeguy,

Thanks so much for your response! I will try that honey "compass" trick with the bees. I believe in old-fashioned methods.

Cameron