The enclosed nature of Slovenian bee houses offers significant advantages in cold climates. The structure provides insulation, helping to maintain a more stable temperature within the hives during harsh winters. This reduces the energy expenditure required by the bees to stay warm, potentially leading to stronger colonies and better overwintering success in regions with long, cold seasons.

The honey produced in AŽ hives might exhibit subtle differences due to factors like the specific microclimate within the bee house and the potential for different levels of humidity and temperature regulation compared to individual Langstroth hives exposed to the external environment.

Traditional Slovenian beekeeping use a specific race of bees knonw as Carniolan honey bees (Carniolan gray – Apis mellifera carnica).  In Slovenia, these bees have been selected for centuries to complement the style of bee management. Though we have used Carniolans in our hive in the past, we now focus on using local northern reared queens in our hives whenever possible.  Using queens that are bred in the same environmental conditions as our hives can help the success of our colonies overwinter.