Guys,

I hope you can help me out; I'm just about to take the plunge and buy my first hive and don't want to make an expensive mistake

Can you tell me if beginners kits like these are worth the money:
http://www.bees-online.co.uk/view.asp?ID=1120
http://www.thorne.co.uk/thorne7.htm
Or should I buy items individually?

Are there retailers people would recommend above others?
Are there any retailers in the North East Scotland - the Inverbervie / Stonehaven area?

Where would I buy bees - on-line? I see from other posts on here that there is the potential for disease in bees locally. Can a beginner easily tell the difference?

Cheers,
Kev.