Not yet, but reading these forums and other sites are helping me grasp alot of the concepts...it's not hands on, but I can visualize alot of what's being said.
My father was a beekeeper for many years and I helped him as a youth before his hives were decimated by mites (can't remember what type). Interestingly enough, when I was 3 years old, I decided that grabbing a stick and shoving it in the hive entrance was a good idea. I was banging the stick around inside the hive and was later hospitalized because of the number of stings i received. My siblings were supposed to be watching me, but apparently they weren't! Of course I was too young to remember all of this, so no induced trauma. :)
I'm really liking the idea of TBH's (thanks to Michael's answers to some questions I posed), and am working toward an inexpensive design that will hopefully pan out. I'm shooting to have all equipment ready for next year, and some added knowledge to boot thanks to alot of you guys. I'm hoping to maybe luck into someone willing to part with some bees in my area as I really don't see myself going the packaged bee route if they have to be shipped. Once received, I think I will introduce one of Michael's feral survivor queens and get the small comb cell started as soon as possible...maybe I'll even luck into someone who is doing small cell...in any case, looking forward to next year :)
Thanks for asking!