I have recently become very passionate about taking up the hobby of beekeeping, and was glad to see that Gardenweb had a forum devoted to this pursuit (since I have had success with Gardenweb in the past).

I am thinking about starting with a starter kit like the following:

http://www.htkbeesupply.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=73

Does that sound like a good starter kit, or is there a different one someone can recommend?

I think we live in a good area for bees (near Santa Barbara, CA, USA); our USDA zone appears to be 9, and it is zone 14 in the Sunset Western Garden Guide. We have loads of native and Mediterranean-style flowering plants (plus a good amount of oak woodland acreage), some water sources, and there always seems to be about one billion bees happily buzzing around already. But, assuming my estimate of the existing bee population is a little high...and that I need to supplement the existing locals...how should I go about purchasing bee stock? I am open to recommendations re: What sources should I buy from? What types of bees should I buy? How do I estimate what quantity should I buy?

Thanks for any advice at all as I enthusiastically embark on this new pursuit!

Chuck

Do you have any local bee keeping clubs in your area that can help you out as well?

Kimberly,
Novato, CA