-- [ From: Charles Grubbs * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --
 
I am new to beekeeping, and am very ignorant on the subject. I have read a
couple of books from the local library, and have gathered as much
information as I can get from the internet. I recently became interested in
beekeeping as a hobby as something for myself and my 12 year old son to
possibly do together. I know a man that used to keep bees ( he quit 8 years
ago)  and told him of my interest and asked for information on how to get
started, he gave me a few references and told me a place to order equipment.
But to my surprise the other day he called and told me that he went to check
on a place that he had left a few of his old hives, and that one of them
still contained bees! This hive has been unattended for 8 years. He told me
that I could have the hive for free if I wanted it. I might also mention
that I live in the state of Georgia, and that the winters are very mild here
. So now I have a hive of questionable bees and don't know what I should do
next. The hive is in very poor condition and I guess that the bees will need
to be transferred to a new hive, but I don't know when or how to go about
doing this. Can anyone suggest a good book that is definitely a required
reading for beginners.
 
Sorry for this lengthy post and thanks to all of you for keeping this area
active for novices such as myself.