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Best of luck with the new variety of bees.

I have long thought about putting in some hives here. Our domesticated bee population appears to be down somewhat. Not sure if it is cotton treated with nicotinamide and chloronicotinic acid insecticides. Have read that is a problem, but am cautious to chime in with the alarmists.

We did have a pretty heavy population of Solitary bees. Purple Orchard Mason bees, leaf cutters and other Solitary bees 2 years ago. But we had a very late freeze in the first of May last year and this either killed those bees or the plants failed to bloom properly because of the freeze.
Chicken or Egg question. But either way, we mad no fruit last year and had very few native bees apparent.

But it appears the cotton populated properly, there was a pretty good crop harvested.

I have had a drawing for building good quality bee hives and have read about some of what it takes. But simply have never done it.

You might find this literature worth looking at.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/24583/24583-h/24583-h.htm

THE HONEY-BEE, A Bee Keeper’s Manual,

BY REV. L. L. LANGSTROTH. (1853)

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http://www.gutenberg.org/files/25185/25185-h/25185-h.htm

MYSTERIES OF BEE-KEEPING EXPLAINED

BY M. QUINBY (1853)

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http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2884/2884-h/2884-h.htm

THE MASON-BEES

By J. Henri Fabre (1914)