Hi, I am new and live in Bay Area California. My Uncle and I wanted to start keeping bees, but a bit reluctant. I was wondering if anyone with bees in Bay Area would be kind enough to show us the ropes.
Thank you in advance
I know there is at least one club in the bay area. Look them up and attend a few meetings. You'll meet some neat people in your area who will be a wealth of knowledge for you. They will have meetings with speakers and demonstrations that will teach you much that you cannot read in a book. Hopefully, you'll be able to find a mentor who will help you learn. I was very fortunate to have an excellent mentor when I started beekeeping. I've known a few folks who didn't have one and I think they would have been better beekeepers sooner if they had a mentor. They can also help you with local sources of bees.
The next best thing you can do is read. If you cannot afford some good beekeeping books your local library probably has some you can borrow. There's also interlibrary loan. Realize that much of what you read may become outdated. You also have a wealth of information here on beemaster. Many folks around the world will be happy to answer your questions, look at your pictures and videos and give you advice. You can also search previous posts for subject matter without having to ask for help. Good luck with it. Hope you enjoy keeping bees.
I'm not in the Bay Area and while it's best to see someone in person, this is a great place to learn right here. I'm entering my fourth year of beekeeping and I feel a bit ahead of my "class" because of the research I've done, questions I've asked and answers I've received on this forum. It's been an invaluable resource for me.
As someone new, you can be intimidated by asking newbee-type questions, but I would encourage you to ask away no matter how basic. Just about everyone here is on the same page as far as helping folks no matter what level they are on. And everyone on this forum was once where you are now.
http://www.diablobees.org/ (http://www.diablobees.org/)