# AZ Hives



## kens (Aug 25, 2007)

I've been 100% disabled for about 4 years was in a wheelchair until the end of December. Now I'm able to walk somewhat and am now wishing that I hadn't sold all of my Beegear. This summer has been torture to me and I know if my right knee goes I will be permanently in a Wheelchair I so want to get back to keeping bees and the only way I can think of doing it is using the Slovenia method of housing the bees. It looks pretty simple so that I think even in a wheelchair I could do it.Has anyone here tried this method or heard about it??


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## JeepHammer (May 12, 2015)

Single row of boxes instead of double stacked so a wheel chair can get under them?
In a common chair (taking pressure off knees) you could still turn towards work?






I know exactly zero about bee keeping (allergic to bee stings) but I've made boxes & frames for folks before.
That most certainly isn't the common frame box used around here.

The big question is infrastructure...
Since we don't know what you have to start with, we don't know where to start.
The guy in the video had a shed/yard barns, but if you don't have one I'm thinking a 'Wishing' well roof, two posts to support roof & hives, roof on top. Simple & cheap.
There is also partly sheltered storage under the hives.

In a shed, there would have to be reinforcement under the hives & building where the hives are. That's a lot of extra weight, and a pretty large cut out in a load bearing wall.
If you spaced wall studs just right, maybe used 4"x4" instead of 2"x4" for wall studs around boxes a common yard barn kit would work.
Since the boxes can mount proud of the wall surface, outside 4"x4" posts bolted to wall studs would bear the load down to the ground and all you would need on the ground was 1 ft.sq. ready made pavers from the big box store under them.
Bolts make them adjustable for height as pavers sink...
(Think 'Jack Legs' on a travel trailer)

The boxes/frames looked pretty standard carpentry wise. Anyone with a saw, router, drill & square could build them... I'd have to see a drawing so air flow and crawl space were correct since I'm not a bee keeper (and not much of a carpenter) but I'm sure plans are online somewhere.
The west side of NC will see freezing weather, so I might design in room for foam board insulation (if bees need insulation?).

Having to adjust to disabilities myself I understand exactly what you are thinking/going through...
I use a golf cart, 40 year old Jeep etc to do a lot of stuff, but there is very little I can't get done.
From raised garden beds I can tend from a golf cart when my back gives up, to Work Stations where everything is in reach while seated instead of 'Work Benches' where everything is scattered out where you have to stand, bend, walk for parts/tools.
When the 'World' no longer fits... I have opposable thumbs, tools and a brain, I made 'Adjustments'.
(And screw everyone that says, "YOU CAN'T...")!

Can you get a doctor to list this as 'Therapy'?
If so, you beat the taxes at the very least, and you might be able to write off some of the costs on your taxes.
People get swimming pools, home gyms, vibrating beds, expensive chairs etc 'Prescribed' all the time, along with all kinds of 'Mental Therapy' stuff, like 'Companion' animals, 'Art' therapy, why not a bee hive?
It can't hurt to ask, and it's obvious the IRS doesn't ask questions...


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## Oxankle (Jun 20, 2003)

Kens:
I've been out of beekeeping for about ten years, but there are no bees around here and I need pollinators, so starting over at 88. I've got a lead on a nearby place for nucs, got my hives, etc, but would like to know about the "Slovenian method". 

I tried the African horizontal hive method for a while but wound up with crossed combs, so did not pursue it. 

Do you have ready access to nucs and queens? Beekeepers here tell me that they fight constantly to keep their bees alive.


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## Mupwi (Jul 14, 2014)

another option is the horisontal langstroth like this alows the use of standard equipment other than the box standard frames spinners ect.


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## Cebelz (Feb 8, 2020)

kens said:


> I've been 100% disabled for about 4 years was in a wheelchair until the end of December. Now I'm able to walk somewhat and am now wishing that I hadn't sold all of my Beegear. This summer has been torture to me and I know if my right knee goes I will be permanently in a Wheelchair I so want to get back to keeping bees and the only way I can think of doing it is using the Slovenia method of housing the bees. It looks pretty simple so that I think even in a wheelchair I could do it.Has anyone here tried this method or heard about it??


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## Cebelz (Feb 8, 2020)

kens said:


> I've been 100% disabled for about 4 years was in a wheelchair until the end of December. Now I'm able to walk somewhat and am now wishing that I hadn't sold all of my Beegear. This summer has been torture to me and I know if my right knee goes I will be permanently in a Wheelchair I so want to get back to keeping bees and the only way I can think of doing it is using the Slovenia method of housing the bees. It looks pretty simple so that I think even in a wheelchair I could do it.Has anyone here tried this method or heard about it??


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## Cebelz (Feb 8, 2020)

The AŽ hive could be the 100% solution to your physical challenges. This hive system has been in for 100+ years, and allows beekeepers of all ages & ability levels to safely manage bees. They need to be placed in a structure to protect them from weather, but what that structure looks like is totally dependent on your needs, and could be built in 1-2 days. 

I am new to this forum, so I can’t post videos, but if you type in Čebelarska Zveza Slovenia on YouTube, there is a great video of an enabled beekeeper in a wheelchair using Až hives. It will give you lots of ideas for how to continue your beekeeping.

We are a military family in Virginia and would love to help you get set back up with your beekeeping with AŽ hives. I started using AŽ hives from Slovenia due to spinal issues, and it is a great solution for someone in a wheelchair. I started an Enabled Beekeeping group on Facebook so we can help each other. Also, please get in touch with the Heros to Hives group at Michigan State University. Good luck!


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