It is like fun - if you like to spend money - go for it.
Cheaper to buy it from the neighbour.
Yeah - I have done it and so have a couple others on here. In fact when I get home I am building a new honey house and extracting room for my wife - yeah - I do as I am told - she wants to start up again.
No matter what I tell you, it is probably all wrong for your area - so here is the standard response:
Go find someone close who does it! Learn from them - and if they are real nice, they will let you use their extractor - the most expensive part of bee keeping unless you want to be a hand cranker!
You will find it annoying, entertaining and rewarding if you do it right - start small and stay that way - always go cash! Sell your honey local and it will all go well.
So - they are coming soon - get your sugar and water ready so you can feed them unless they already have food on the lower (brood) boxes, be sure to have a couple of extra boxes (supers) ready to put on top when the honey flow is on, and get yourself a pen of epinephrin - if not for you then for anyone who gets stung - allergies may not be there now but can come without warning.
Put them off in a quiet corner of a field and remember - skunks, bears, mice and rats all love to raid the bee hive!
Some fun reading:
http://basicbeekeeping.blogspot.com/
http://www.countryfields.ca/downloadtext.html# - Read the A Guide for the Beginning Beekeeper - very basic but it will steer you in the right direction even though you are in a different area. That is the real key - your area - with bees it is important to realize a very small change in environment can mean a huge change in hive production.
Find a mentor asap
Have fun
BC
