Unlike the Langstroth beehives used heavily in the US, the Slovenian hives are accessed from the rear.

A more common name for Slovenian hives is AZ hives.

The MySlovenainHive size is 3 x 12, or three sections with 12 frames each.

Shown here is the optional rear door. Note that the rear door can be removed to make moving frames from hive to hive easyer.

With Slovenian hives, the frames are accessed one at a time from the rear of the hive when the rear screen is removed.

You never lift more than the weight of a single frame of bees when inspecting or making changes to the hive.

The frames are held in-place with two-part rear screens.

Notice the trim on the rear screen. The trim is easily adjusted to help seal the rear of the hive. This keeps little critters from entering the hive from the rear.

Two-part rear screens allow you to easily adjust the frames to quickly insert the outer rear screen.

The rear screen insert then slips into the outer frame.

Another advantage is that you can make multiple inserts. This particular insert has a feeder hole and cover. Other such as fondant feeders can also be made as inserts.

A single 3/8” dowel holds the rear screen assembly in-place.

The rear foam is exclusive to Slovenian AZ hives. It allows the bees to better control both the temperature and humidity in the hive and still allow the hive to vent.

This allows for much dryer honey. There is a reason Slovenian honey is some of the best in the world.

The rear foam is easily removed when doing inspections or making changes to the hive.

My honey averages about 16.2% when I harvest it.

Shown here is the optional rear door installed with the foam in-place. Always open the door vents when the foam is installed.

The two upper sections have entrances that are normally kept closed. With the entrance plug removed you can use these entrances for various purposes.

The front face, as well as the upper entrance plugs are covered in Volume 2.

The Lower entrance door provides a landing board for the bees when open. It has an angle that helps the bees clear the board when needed.

Shown here is the entrance reducer in-place. Covered in Volume 2.

I use a special system for the landing board. It is easier to install and stronger than hinges. In addition, you can replace a landing board, even with bees going in and out of the hive.

The landing board is covered in Volume 2.

When closed, ventilation is provided by a small hole with wire mesh.

When the rear door is in-place and closed and the entrance door is closed, the hive could actually be moved to a new location when populated with bees.

Various feeders can be used in the rear of the hive. Here is a feeder with a tube going into the feeder hole. Only the hive bees can access the syrup. And since it is inside the foam the temperature stays pretty close to that of the hive.

I will be covering feeders and other accessories in Volume 6.

This particular design allows you to access the bottom screen without removing the feeder.

The bottom screen is covered in Volume 4.

Slovenian hives have to have decorations painted on the front of the hive. Since the hives are placed next to each other, it is important to give the bees a way to easily locate their hive. This helps prevent drifting from hive to hive.

I have a whole chapter devoted to painting in Volume 2.

Most of the hive, including the carcass, can be made from solid wood or quality cabinet grade plywood.

Shown here are some panels I cut out of plywood. I cover the layout and cutting of plywood sheets in Volume 1.

Here are some solid wood panels that I glued up. There are grain direction considerations that must be observed when using solid wood.

I cover solid wood considerations in Volume 1.

In volume 1, I cover how to build a track for any circular saw. This will help you cut and square your panels.

I had a one of my plywood hives swarm recently. Instead of requeening them, I decided to move the bees to other hives.

This gave me a chance to check out the hive.

Here is the very first plywood hives I built using cabinet grade plywood. The bottom section held bees for three years. The middle two years, and the top about a year.

Other than some staining the hive is in great shape. No warpage at all. I collected some of the edge propolis where the shelves are located, and the hive is ready to be repopulated. I already have a hive outside in a swarm catcher that is ready to get a new home.

The MySlovenianHive design makes extensive use of a router to mill the features into the various panels.

No CNC is needed to make the features. The book is designed around making these features manually with a router.

In Volume 1 I take you step by step through the process of making router offset guides. These guides along with your router and a straight edge will allow you to make every feature needed.

To help speed things up in doing the slots in the side panel, I have designed a template kit that will allow you to make the slots much faster.

The template is not required but will speed things up, especially if you are makeing more than one hive at a time.

Slovenian beehives are designed to be installed inside a bee house like the one shown here. These bee houses are designed to hold one or more Slovenian hives.

They keep most of the hive out of the weather. Notice the overhang on this bee house. This keeps a lot of the weather off the hive. A proper bee house will go a long way at preserving the life of your hives.

Note that this was the house I used in my first year with a Slovenian hive.

The rear of the house had doors and the whole thing was insulated. I even set the house up so that the back where I would be working was covered by a shelter.

It was always my goal to use my Amish garage as the bee house. I did not have time to do it my first year, so built and placed the smaller house in front of the garage.

Here the Amish garage has been converted. It has four hives installed, three of which are active.

The garage was not modified at all. I built a structure next to the front where the garage door was located.

That way I can keep the door closed when not managing the hives.

Shown here are the four installed hives. The garage door is open, and the foam inserts have been removed.

This one of the only books on Slovenian Hive management.

You can get it here:

A-Z Beekeeping