The one thing every new beekeeper should have is an observation hive. I made mine with bits of wood I had laying around. I just had to pay out for 2 pieces of perspex for either side. Plus some ply if you don’t have any laying around. You learn so much about bee behavior by looking into an observation hive. You don’t need a new queen in a observation hive. An old queen that is ready to be replaced is sufficient. An observation hive is just fantastic. I must open mine at least once a week to show people. Children are most interested. I get lots of "wow"s.
PS Because an observation hive has a relatively small colony, you are less likely to encounter cranky bees. With a portable hive like mine, it is easy to take it away from it’s normal position to show people in relative safety. Then it is interesting to show how the foraging bees love it when you return it to it’s original position. Then to note how the noise level drops dramatically.