bee hives

My mother is very interestead with raising bees and has found a rubber bee hive. I don't belive that a rubber one is too practical. We don't have cold winters but hotter ones. Apperntly wood warps and you need to repaint it often. I agree with haveing to repaint it often. I have done some...

I'm looking into all the bee verieties there are and wanted to see what other keepers recommend. I've heard of Italian bees, Caucasian bees, German bees and Russian bees. And I know what I want out of a colony but don't know what verieties would best suit me. I'm planning on only one colony at...