I got my first taste of beekeeping experience from my father, who has been keeping bees for approximately 35 years. Because we were expanding our bee farm, we decided to begin rearing our own queens. I have been doing this for ten years, but for the last five I have been doing it intensively.
Our queen-breeding station stands in the village of Odranci in Prekmurje, and you can reach it by taking the regional road from Murska Sobota to Lendava via Odranci.
The bee house at the breeding station contains AŽ hives. An old branch of Črnec Creek flows next to the bee house, so the bees have plenty of water available. The station is located in a clearing in the woods, connected by a paved road. We are happy to give tours of the bee house and the rest of the breeding station to any visitors that would like to have a look.
We rear approximately 300 queens a year for personal use, and approximately 500 for sales purposes. The number depends on the demand.
Our nucs are made of wood. They are divided in the middle into two parts, as are also the feeders, which are located at the top. Each nuc contains six frames. In the fall, we remove the division board and join them.
Our queens are known to be very calm, the bees produce a lot of honey, and we are also trying to reduce their swarming impulse.