Has anyone tried hiving honeybees in a plastic bucket?
 
I have been thinking for several years about how to make beekeeping less
equipment intense, so that people in developing countries might benefit from
keeping bees.  I was painting a stack of new supers last night and I thought
that a 5 (US) gallon bucket was roughly the size of a bee hive.  Could someone
use  European skep beekeeping techniques but substitute a plastic bucket for
the Skep?
 
Plastic buckets are cheap, plentiful, they resist rot and insect infestation.
They are easy to disinfect and are easy to move.
 
Of course US laws prevent keeping bees in non-movable hives, but for
developing countries it might be worth considering.
 
Thanks in advance for your comments.
 
Randy Lynn
Blossom Ridge Bee Farm
Greensboro, NC, USA
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