chek with mike holland (beefarmer). mike lives in brandon and has been in bees for a few yrs. he will be glad to help you out and give you a little experience.
Welcome to the forum, Scott. I'm in the southeast assoc., we meet in Laurel. There are members in ours as far your way as Raleigh. And a member in Taylorsvillehas opened Southern States Bee Supply. Good luckJoe
Coming yo a town near you in MS:Cool. I don't think I've ever been to Macon, but it is less than 2 hours away.