There are two ways you can start a beekeeping.
It is either as a hobby or as a business.
Main difference between these two modalities and the biggest is the amount of money that is invested in each of them.
If you have no prior knowledge of beekeeping it is probably better that you start it as a hobby.
That way any mistakes you may go through, and you probably will make some, will be smaller and you will acquire knowledge through hands on experience that has much greater value than hundreds of words in books.
You will see that things are a bit different when you get your hands among bees.
After you've been in contact with them and with beekeeping for a year or more you will know your achievable targets and you will know if beekeeping looks tempting to you as a business and what is real to expect in terms of profit.
There is almost no replacement for another beekeeper who will teach you and give you advices not found in the books.
That's why you should join local beekeepers association and ask some of them to be present when they work around bees.
It is probably the fastest route to learn, looking and helping another beekeeper.
You should become a member and participate and that way you will hear some useful info or there may be some events that may be of interest to you.
You should also inform yourself about any laws which regulate beekeeping in your area, and you should also try to find out if people living in your area have something to say about swarms of bees in their gardens and around their houses.
Most of the time people are afraid of bees so have that in mind.
Beekeeping is best practised in villages or farms generally speaking but only if there are flowers or woods in the area around which is the requirement for bees in general.
Another important thing is to give them enough water which is best kept beside hives.
That way bees don't need to go far to bring water and spend their energy on it when nectar is what they should collect.
So, keep bees happy by allowing them to obtain food and by giving them water to drink and water is really important if you are in the area with hot summers and high temperatures.
Don't make them go for water miles away from the place they are currently located, instead always give them enough fresh water near the hive in a shallow lid or similar where bees won't drown and that way bees will spend more energy on collecting honey.
Also, to make them collect food easier, it would be better if the available sources are as close as possible, because that way your hives will be full of honey in no time.
One of the most important things is to acquire good equipment and it is always better to buy new but it obviously depends on the available finances of course.
Also, buy some clothes, and most importantly veil and gloves.
It is necessary to protect yourself from stings and it is absolutely fundamental to find out if you're allergic to bee stings, this is really very important and certainly the most important thing in whole beekeeping for beginners! Some people are and in that case it may be best to avoid beekeeping completely, because every now and then you will receive few stings, even experienced beekeepers do.
When buying or obtaining used hives it is necessary to clean and disinfect them as good as possible in order to avoid some nasty surprises.
For example, colony that was in the hive you got may have had some diseases and there are chances that the same disease may still be there! There are few methods beekeepers use to disinfect the hive and they do require great caution.
Keep in mind these facts are the basics only and just as is with any other hobby or anything you do you need to get decent knowledge to be good at it.
Beekeeping is certainly a great job and if you obtain more hives and develop more colonies there can be more profits too.