Thanks for this! It's very helpful. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about beekeeping, as it looks like my city will be legalizing it sometime soon. I don't want to lay out a lot of money until I know I can keep bees, so I might have to wait a year or more to actually set up a hive.
I do have a question about location, though...
"Location....You need a sunny or partially sunny location to place your hive. All day sun is OK if afternoon shade is available during the hottest days is best. Placing your hive in a partially shady location is good for the bees and good for you. Wearing a bee suit on a hot summer day is no fun at all but neccesary. The location also needs to have good air flow and not be damp. Putting your hive on a hive stand 2' to 3' off the groudn will help with this. "
What is an actual temperature range that's OK for bees? Here we tend to have hot summers, and mild winters, though it does freeze. I have two spots that I could keep a hive - between my house and garage, which is almost full shade (seems better in summer) and on the roof, which is almost full sun (seems better in winter)... but I won't be able to move the hive seasonally once it's set up, since access to the roof is only by ladder. My property is very small, so those are the only places I can think of that aren't too close to either the sidewalk or a neighbor's property.
