Time may not be linear like at first thought, but circular, or even spherical. Likewise, nor is human thought. Ideas get developed.....used.....ditched.....thought up again etc.. Many things have been before and then forgotten when a 'better' idea has hoved into view.
Beekeeping is no exception to this. Early ideas, for bee domestication, used base natural products such as straw, clay and wood. They also did not care for the fate of their colonies. As we became more sophisticated we made things more comfortable and convenient for both us and the bees, hence breeding domesticated stock and developing hives.
The problem is the natural 'dogma' that humans often carry, along with a failure to look forward, back and even sideways at a subject such as beekeeping. I see it online a lot. The fuss that is made when anyone comes up with a new method, or design, can be off the scale. 'Traditionalists' find themselves stuck in their
own time, as in:
"I've used Smith* hives for fifty years. Warre's** should be outlawed!
Likewise, more modernist opinion fails to re-visit past developments, maybe even now debunked. I always think that is a mistake, as a modern twist to an older method sometimes comes up trumps?
Regarding what has been said on this thread. I believe that it is dangerous for people who may not have the required knowledge and at least a modicum of experience, to play with what could be classed as 'dangerous animals.' Bees are not that predictable after all and it pays to actually work with them, in a stable environment, first. If I had a non-experienced neighbour, 'experimenting' with bees in a bottle or skep I may be a bit worried on several levels.
* ** add or subtract whatever design you want!
Corrected
