Kozmus Beekeeping Farm

The Kozmus Beekeeping Farm is a family apiary at Podčetrtek, a small town in the Kozjansko hills of eastern Slovenia, close to the Croatian border and the Sotla river. Beekeeping is a living tradition across Slovenia, a country with one of the highest numbers of beekeepers per head of population in Europe, and the region around Podčetrtek, with its orchards, meadows, chestnut woods and flower-rich hillsides, offers good forage for bees. A visit to a working apiary gives a close look at the craft, the animals and the products, and it is a pleasant counterpart to the town's spa and sightseeing offer.

Slovenia has a particular place in beekeeping history. The Carniolan honey bee, a grey, gentle and hardworking subspecies native to the region, is prized around the world, and Slovenian beekeepers developed their own hives, tools and techniques over centuries, along with the folk art of painted beehive panels. Anton Janša, born in the village of Breznica in Upper Carniola in the eighteenth century, became the first teacher of beekeeping at the Habsburg court, and his birthday, 20 May, is now marked as World Bee Day by the United Nations. The Kozmus farm belongs to this tradition, and the family has kept bees here since the 1990s.

A guided visit introduces the basics. Guests learn how a colony is organised, with the queen, workers and drones, how bees collect nectar and pollen, how hives are managed through the year and how honey is extracted and bottled. A visit usually includes a look at traditional hives and modern equipment, and at the garden planted with herbs and flowers that bees favour. Many apiaries also present small features such as insect hotels for wild bees, which show the wider importance of pollinators in farming and nature. Beekeepers are usually glad to answer questions, and children tend to be fascinated by the observation hive, where bees can be watched safely behind glass.

Tasting is the sweet part. Different honeys vary in colour, aroma and flavour depending on the flowers visited, and a tasting may include light acacia honey, dark forest honey, chestnut and linden or other blossom honeys, often with bread and herbal tea. The farm also sells honey and other bee products, and gift boxes make good souvenirs.

Nearby are the Olimje Monastery with its chocolate shop, the Haler and Amon homesteads, and Terme Olimia, so a visit fits easily into a day around Podčetrtek. Because the farm is small, visits are usually by arrangement, so contact the family in advance to book a time and ask about languages and group sizes.