Newbie in Seattle

[Caryw]

A'ight, I'll give this a try...

I'm not sure how it happened -- one day I was talkin to my neighbor about the lack of bees we're seeing in our gardens, and the next day I am priming/painting hive bodies in anticipation of my first package of bees... That was 2.5 weeks ago.  The package is doing great -- last check the queen was laying, brood were being capped, and there was a lot of honey/pollen...

But why stop?  Found a supplier that had a few (3) frames of capped brood and some bees to get rid of.  Put one frame of capped brood in the original hive and set the bees/other 2 frames (with a caged queen) in another body on the other corner of my (relatively small, urban Seattle) yard.  Will check in on everyone in a couple days to make sure the queen was accepted etc.

SO.  Is anyone in the area able tell me what to expect for a flow time (looks like the blackberries have kicked in...)?  I have second deeps ready to go for each hive (bees are Italian, was told to expect VERY rapid growth) but nothing more.  Should I start priming/painting (a) 3rd deeps? (b) small/med supers?  I'm OK with not having a harvest this year, but if things are looking POSSIBLE, I want to be ready (advice on getting some comb honey would be welcomed too!). 

I've read 'Beekeeping for Dummies" and "The Backyard Beekeeper" from cover-to-cover multiple times, and feel like I have less of a grasp the more I read here. 

Thanks for the opportunity to ramble!

[buzzbee]

Ramble on!!
You have read some good books.I'm from out east so can't tell you what to expect,but give the bees all the room they need as they grow.Building bee numbers is the best thing you can do right now,but if the colonies get strong be prepared with supers if you get a good flow going.
I'm finding out you can't have too much extra around.Extra boxes are always good to catch swarms or splitting hives that are busting at the seams.
If you get a strong hive,that is the one to experiment with comb honey!
Have fun at the new hobby and stop back often!!

[Understudy]

Find a local beekeeper group. Join them. Have fun.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[Caryw]

THANKS!!