>   I heard about them through my local bee group. We voted to support the
> project with a donation (as did my family). For $30 US they can supply a
> family with a hive. We all had a good laugh at the bee group - we wish it
> only cost us $30 in equipment and bees to get a hive started here in the
> US!!

Beekeeping in movable comb hives can be dirt cheap, even in the Second World.
Take a gander at Jim Satterfield's page: http://www.gsu.edu/~biojdsx/main.htm

--
A Beekeeper's Diary: http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/Diary/
Package installation & performance experiments, winter loss, fondant feeding,
Pierco vs. Permadent vs. dark comb, unwrapping bees, spring splitting tricks,
AFB, varroa, protein patties, daily mumblings, grumblings and more... Thousands
served... No waiting.