ky gal, welcome to the forum! I'm glad to know that you are interested in beekeeping. Let me tell you first that the first four or five stings are the worst (for me anyways). after that you become desensitized to the venom. Two days ago i removed a swarm from a tree and got stung three times, all of which were my fault. once i brushed my arm up against the swarm, another time i squashed a bee between my leg and the ladder, and the last time a bee crawled up in my pant leg and stung my shin. keep in mind that i was 50 feet up in a tree at the top of a ladder. :haha: i got stung again twice today

i'm just a little itchy from one sting. keep also in mind that you won't get stung every time you open the hives. i had just finished mowing the lawn, and the bees were irritated by the exhaust in my clothes. Now i have been sting a total of maybe 15 times since may 8th, when i got the bees.
Also, for about $700 you can get fully set up with two hives, some extra woodenware, bees, and a small extractor, plus all of the other supplies you need, like a smoker, veil, hive tool, etc. all you need is an hour each weekend to open them up and have a look.
justgojumpit