I live in a near north suburb of Chicago, am an avid gardener, volunteer at the Chicago Botanic Garden, and hope to start my first hive Spring '13. In the meantime, I am reading all the great stuff online, borrowing armfuls of bee books from my local library, and having a grand time learning about the marvelous world of bees. Bee people seem to be open and friendly and I hope to find someone in my area to learn from or with. :bee: :bee: :bee: