Hi Nathan, No silly questions here… you are in my neck of the woods so hopefully we can help you out as best we can. Not sure if the box perk comes with the frames and foundation wax, best to get your equipment now before the rush. I am assuming you are getting an 8-frame hive and not the 10 frame? My advice is to head up to the Bee Supply shop as soon as you can, if this is Hornsby they will be running short of supplies soon, a container load is a couple of months behind schedule and there will be a very large demand for supplies come September.
Are you a member of a club? There are lots around Sydney, just depends on where you live.
No bees just yet, packages will be available late September and into October depending on demand, best call up Hornsby Beekeeping and ask to go on their list for package, there is the added bonus if you are a member of a club to go on their swarm list. Nucleus hives are around but you really need to know a queen breeder of large beekeeper, I would start with a package or Swarm … or both.
Considering you are pretty new, aim to get ready made frames with wax foundation already embedded, they will set you back about $7 each but its worth the extra money for newbies. We conducted a hive body and frame building workshop at Terrey Hills last Sunday which was well attended but you do need some specialised equipment which can be additional hassle that you don’t need right now.
I am waffling a little, anyhow checkout the following forum links for beekeeper equipment you will need.
http://forum.honeyflow.com/t/beekeeping-basic-essentials-what-do-you-need/1479
http://forum.honeyflow.com/t/beehive-stands-are-they-necessary/1484
http://forum.honeyflow.com/t/building-a-langstroth-hive-preparing-for-bees/1481
http://forum.honeyflow.com/t/installing-package-bees-without-shaking-or-smoke/1508
http://forum.honeyflow.com/t/bee-diseases-and-pests-a-summary/1570