I have been fascinated by the Slovenian AZ hive nearly as long as I have kept bees. I was intrigued by this design which touted less disturbance to the bees and therefore generally a gentler beekeeping experience. I also liked the idea of a hive that involved less lifting than the US standard langstroth hive. And, naturally, my slovenian heritage lended to more intrigue than some other hive designs (top bar, layens) that accomplish many of the same things.
When I began beekeeping I got all langstroth equipment, and this would be my recommendation for anyone new beekeeper, at least in the United States. It is just a lot easier to learn on the equipment format that is so readily available and that all of your peers are using. After I gained a few years of experience I felt like I had learned the nuances of beekeeping at a more macro level and was ready to try a new experiment. I’m creating a series of posts over the coming year that will chronicle this experiment.
I’ll go through the design and build of my first hive in the winter of 2022, introduction of bees in the spring, and build up of the colony throughout the beekeeping year.
