Honey Bees

Hive Placement

Choose a sunny location. Facing South-ish is ideal. Morning sunshine and a little afternoon shade is nice.
Place near a windbreak, such as a fence or trees.
Raise so that the bottom of the hive is at least 8 inches of the ground.
Avoid damp, humid environments.
If placing on a rooftop, no more than six stories high.
Choose an area that is flat and accessible.
Be cognizant of neighbors, pets, and pesticide use.

Check city ordinances before you decide to get bees. If you're having trouble finding the laws where you live, reach out to your local beekeeper association.
Make an effort to keep your bees out of public sight. Strategically choose your hive location. You can even paint your hive a color similar to its surroundings.
Don't place near your neighbor's property. Especially not their home or walkway.
Keep bees in a fenced area. You don't want your neighbor's children or pets walking near and getting stung.
Provide a water source for your bees. Otherwise they may end up getting water from your neighbor's pool, bird bath, or pet dish.
Provide a six foot high barrier that bees must fly over when leaving the hive. This encourages bees to fly up and away rather than straight out of the hive. It can be a solid fence, shrub, or building.
Take steps to prevent your bees from swarming. Even though swarms are docile because they have no honey to protect, you don't want a scary-looking mass of bees loitering on your neighbor's property.
Avoid keeping overly aggressive colonies and avoid situations that increase aggression. Feed your bees with internal feeders so you don't encourage robbing (so no "open feeding"). Don't stack more than two supers on your hive, since bees become more aggressive as they have more honey to defend. Instead you can remove surplus honey periodically as the bees produce it.