a newbie (bee ?)

This is my 1st venture in beekeeping. I have a large garden & annually raise about 1/2 acre of sunflowers. I noticed in the past years that I never see any honey bees so this is why I decided to get into the bee game. I have a partner; his name is Roger Holmes & he attended with me the 8 hour class in Feb. @ the Farm Bureau. He is as excited as I am to begin this venture. As far as I know there are no other beekeepers in the Channahon area. I ordered two 3 lb. packages of bees to be delivered in mid-april. I ordered two 8 frame hives & all the other equipment we'll need to get a start. I am open to any & all advice from the beekeeping members. Look forward to the next meeting.