Robert, I Highly recomend you contact an asscoiation near you for help in getting started. Good Luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Beekeeping Assiciations

Thanks for the link Joe. I went there and was tickled to death to find a listing for "Weakley County Beekeepers Association." Weakley County is a sister county. I took down the information, found the man's name in the phone book, and called him. I told him that it was my understanding that he was associated with the Weakley County Beekeepers Association and asked if my understanding was correct. He said, "Well, I get their mail... don't really know why unless it is because I am a Weakley County Agricultural Agent. But no, I'm not associated with their association." My heart sank to my shoes! But, I asked if he knew of any beekeepers or ex-beekeepers in the Weakley or Carroll county areas. He told me that he was sorry but did not know of anyone currently keeping bees and that he thought that everyone that he knew of that used to keep them was dead and gone.

When I was a kid, you couldn't drive far down a country road without seeing at least one bee hive by a house, a barn, or at the edge of a field. But, thanks to varroa mites, trachael mites, pesticides, poor management, and lack of interest, I am afraid that, at least locally, beekeeping has gone the same way of the horse-drawn buggies! That, wanting the extra pollination of my garden, and the fact that I am just plainly amazed by watching them is why I had hoped I could get ahold of a hive or two.

I haven't given up yet! If I have to, I will eventually make the woodenware that I need!

Thanks again,
beebiz

Don't give up. A lot of local or county associations dry up and blow away. Start at the state level and work down.

Thanks for the suggestion and the words of encouragement ccrb1. I assure you that I'm not giving up!

As a matter of fact, in the last couple of days I've done a tremendous amount of reading on the subject of Top-bar Hive beekeeping. I've got some old scrap lumber around here that would not be suitable for making Langstroth hives. But, from everything that I read, it would be very suitable to make Top-bar hives. The two biggest drawbacks that I can find about the Top-bar hives are: 1)Honey production is lower due to the extra work and energy expended in making the comb, and 2)The combs are so much easier to damage due to them being attached only to a top bar. As for the honey, I'm not planing on getting rich off of beekeeping. I just want the extra pollination for my garden and some honey for myself and some friends and family. Last night, I found a guy that kept in mind the fragility of the comb when he designed his top bars. Instead of just a top bar, he added a curved "bottom bar" and some wire that connected the top bar to the "bottom bar." According to what I have read, the features that he incorporated made handling the comb a lot less dangerous.

Again, thanks for the suggestions and words of encouragement.

beebiz

made my day... LOL