>Illegal to own a skep?  I'd love to hear the rationale behind that one!
 
I believe the rationale, which is justifiable in some circumstances, is
that fixed combs can not be inspected for diseased cells.  Some states (at
least at one time) required that colonies be destroyed if they showed
evidence of infection by American foul brood.  Therefore fixed-comb hives,
such as skeps, were also made illegal since they prevented proper
inspection.  Obviously, there were always lots of wild colonies, in most
areas, that might have harbored disease but the "no skep" laws were a
"control-where-you-can" attempt to protect the beekeeping industry.
 
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