Q&A for How to Keep Bees

Try to find a sunny area since bees need to stay warm to incubate and survive. If you live in a cold climate, you may have to cover your hives in the winter.

There are many types of solitary bees. A signal honeybee will not last very long.

Try putting out sugar water, or a mix of water, sugar and pollen. You'll want a syrupy consistency for the latter. You can put it out in small, shallow dishes or hang a jar upside down with holes in the lid. You can also support a local apiary, purchasing product or even simply donating. Note that this is more for small family run organizations; huge corporations don't really need the help.

You will want to make sure you have a good amount of space between the hive and your house so as to prevent you and your family from being stung by accident. You will also want to place the hive somewhere close to a source of water for the bees and that has access to natural sunlight.

Increase biodiversity in your area, such as plantings natural to all pollinators.

Yes, you can choose any plants that bloom often. A large quantity of small plants that bloom often is better than one large blooming plant, because a lot of other bugs live in large blooms and this may prevent it from benefiting the bees.

The queen bee is much larger in comparison to the other worker bees. She will clearly stand out.

Absolutely, a single bee that is missing a wing will not make a drastic difference to the colony and will still thrive.

You do not have to harvest the honey. You can have a hive just to provide housing for bees. The bees will eat their own honey, and will have extra honey stored up. This stored up honey is normally what beekeepers harvest, but you don't need to harvest it.