# AŽ Hive



## Andrew Dewey (Aug 23, 2005)

Try web.bf.uni-lj.si/jbozic/cic/AZhive.html This is from a very quick internet search.


----------



## gregluxus (Jun 24, 2011)

there's not much visual details thank you


----------



## libhart (Apr 22, 2010)

I really want to try one of these also, really just for the curiosity factor. There are pictures around the web, but rarely measurements. Realize that you're going to be building everything including the frames, so the measurements are really yours to determine. I don't have the shop in which to build it or I already would have. I was going to buy one from www.logar-trade.si, they have nice pictures where you could get the general idea. Unfortunately they wouldn't put it on a slow boat, the only way they'd ship it was by air, which meant the shipping itself was I think $400 inch:

Someday if I somehow come into unexpected money maybe I'll splurge, but I couldn't justify it no matter how curious I am.


----------



## gregluxus (Jun 24, 2011)

i have hope in our slovenian friends


----------



## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

Pick the features you like and start building ... how wrong could you be? It is not like there are not variations.


----------



## libhart (Apr 22, 2010)

Agree w/Acebird....I think many if not most of these in Slovenia are home made.

Guess I have a little more than a curiosity factor....my great grandparents came over on a slow boat from Knežak. Someday I plan to visit the old country, including the beekeeping museum, and I'll be doing my best to send back a hive


----------



## gregluxus (Jun 24, 2011)

lets wait a little maybe someone will save us


----------



## cerezha (Oct 11, 2011)

http://www.pcelinjak.hr/index.php/Kosnice/10-okvirna-a-konica.html
SOME dimensions


----------



## Mbeck (Apr 27, 2011)

http://web.bf.uni-lj.si/jbozic/cic/AZhive.html

http://beehivejournal.blogspot.com/2010/01/unknown5_10.html?m=1

http://translate.google.com/transla...ttp://web.bf.uni-lj.si/jbozic/cic/AZpanj.html


Hope that helps


----------



## gregluxus (Jun 24, 2011)

thank you everyone i should be starting construction next week and be done in a month


----------



## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Those are sweet looking hives! If you put something together do us a favor and put your plans up on the site.


----------



## cerezha (Oct 11, 2011)

gregluxus said:


> thank you everyone i should be starting construction next week and be done in a month


 Could anybody explain how it actually works? Sergey


----------



## gregluxus (Jun 24, 2011)

i will do my best it will take me a while


----------



## gregluxus (Jun 24, 2011)

cerezha said:


> Could anybody explain how it actually works? Sergey


looks like no one in USA own one


----------



## cerezha (Oct 11, 2011)

gregluxus said:


> looks like no one in USA own one


 My wife sent to me a picture of the beehouse in Switzerland (Swiss beehouse in "picture gallery"). It is a massive permanent construction: front of it is just couple of row of the beehives attached together forming a wall. It is my understanding that there is a "back room" from which one have access to the back sides of beehives. It seems to me that those "Swiss" beehives have similar construction as AŽ Hive discussed here - access from the back via sort of the door (on beehive). But, "Swiss" hive, seems to me, had only one bottom entrance. This Slovenian hive has two (?) entrances for brood and honey chambers, am I right? I also could not figure out the design of the frame. What is the purpose of the circular cuts at the ends? Is this sort of a handle? Very confusing. Another confusion is that for cold weather, AŽ Hive has double-walls with the gap - it complicates the whole drawings. I would probably try to re-draw the plan removing "complications" like double-walls etc first -just to have a general idea about whole thing. I would be interested to learn more about this hive. Please, post the pictures when you are in the process. Sergey


----------



## gregluxus (Jun 24, 2011)

i will do my best what do you think about buting styrofoam insulation between whe walls?


----------



## cerezha (Oct 11, 2011)

gregluxus said:


> i will do my best what do you think about buting styrofoam insulation between whe walls?


 The way how I saw (Swiss variety) - the beehives are located inside the room and only front part is outside, forming the front wall with bee-entrances. In this sense, I do not think, insulation is such important because the body of the hive is indoor actually... For free-standing beehive, insulation must be equal in all sides. I remember that in Russia, they also use two layers of wood planks, no insulation between, only some air. I think the idea behind this is that you need humidity control - small gaps between planks provide some air-circulation. In Russia, they used outer planks with "tooth", so "tooth" in one plank go inside the groove in another, it is not glued, it is just nailed to internal part. Basically, you make a beehive from quite thick boards and cover the entire body with layer of planks with "tooth". Outer planks overlap inner boards. It is kind of shell - this is why I think that dimensions of the internal part, the core are more important.


----------



## tinchkys (Jan 3, 2017)

It's been 4+ years since this thread went quiet but... Did you ever manage to build an AŽ hive? 
If not, I've got the plans from Slovenia (metric). Not sure how to add pics on here or PDF files - pm me, if you need them.


----------



## johno (Dec 4, 2011)

Lots of AZ hives in the USA, you can find them on face book under AZ hivers. The European frame size is not the same as US frames however some AZ hives available in the USA are the same size as our deeps. For those who wish to build their own as I have done one of the problems is obtaining frame spacers which are all brought in from Slovenia. I am sure if you were to google Drebbieville Hives you will find one of the USA manufacturers who also has some U tube videos out there.
Johno


----------



## VickyLynn (Jun 20, 2011)

The only true Slovenian hive in the U.S. is imported by Suzanne Brouillette at Slovenian Beekeeping. I have visited the factory in Slovenia where they are beautifully made - each by hand in a family run business. 

http://www.slovenianbeekeeping.com/home.html
https://www.facebook.com/slovenianbeekeeping/


----------



## johno (Dec 4, 2011)

I would also suggest if you want to go to the trouble of making your own you should look at the AZ Grom which is a 3 tier hive as against the standard AZ hive which is 2 tiered. The Slovenian Carniolans build smaller colonies than do our USA mutts but even in Slovenia some beekeepers have extended hives to allow for greater colony growth. One should also mention that the beauty of the AZ hive is that it is in a bee house where you also have your extractor so the extraction is done directly from the colony to the extractor so you are only working frame by frame. So if you do not have a bee house you will still be lugging boxes of heavy frames around. So before you jump into the AZ world try to find out as much as possible about what you are getting into.
Johno


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>looks like no one in USA own one

Here are mine. I haven't had time to get them painted and put bees in them yet.
http://www.bushfarms.com/images/BeeCamp2016/AZHive1.jpg
http://www.bushfarms.com/images/BeeCamp2016/AZHive2.jpg

But you may be happier if you adjust the dimensions to use frames that will fit US extractors and US foundation.
http://www.drebbievillehives.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYkD-M-EYJk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZp7RVVFdcc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KY4l7oEI-8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPaSsPEaOP0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvtFo6Wqa5g

Here is a modified Langstroth box:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n20j_ZDjw98

Here's a modified Langstroth box I have:
http://www.bushfarms.com/images/BeeCamp2016/VarroaXtractorAsAZType.jpg

Made from these frames:
http://www.varroax.com/


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Here's a facebook page of people who are keeping AZ hives:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1608057116103205/


----------



## johno (Dec 4, 2011)

I would think that Sally with her simple AZ hive will have problems removing her frames as the bees will propolize the end frames together at both sides.
Johno


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I would think that Sally with her simple AZ hive will have problems removing her frames as the bees will propolize the end frames together at both sides.

Agreed. The AZ hive has a metal spacer at the end and the frames only touch a very small piece of metal on each side. The bottom bars are scalloped so the bottom bar only touches two small spots on each of the rods underneath. But Sally will get to experiment and when they get glued together too much she can pull the boxes off and clean them up...


----------



## Verify (Jul 11, 2014)

Hi there!

I will build some AŽ hives in next days (I am from Slovenia). I am building 11+3 AŽ hives with no door (foam instead) and bottle feeder.

if anybody interested you can text me (zero zero three eight six four one nine five one eight two nine).

Regards.

P.S. Slovaks will hardly help you about AŽ hives while they do not use them, they use different system... anyway it is completly different country


----------

