We've been successful keeping honey bees in small cages in tghe lab as
long as they have a water bottle and sugar paste.  These bees were hand
picked from full size hives.  Recently we have used a small hand vac
and see no problems in the bees.  The vac is modified so suction is not
too great.
e.southwick, beelab, SUNY, Brockport NY 14420