Depth of bucket doesn't matter once the water level drops beyond top layer of rocks. One of those gravity fed pet waterers with the bowl filled with stones.
Or you could DIY one with a small or large bottle.
It was also the cost of suit, and all the other gear, big factors in putting me off of it.
Came to the same conclusion about bees several years ago, for the same reasons.
I use a hand truck and ramp to move feed bags into the coop, then use a scoop to transfer feed into the storage can.
As to the bees in your waterers, read a story a here about bees swarming a feeder and...