We have a strong beekeeping tradition in this region and it is still a very popular local pastime.
Andrej has been a beekeeper now for almost 20 years, taking over responsibility for the family beehives from Sonja's mum. He and his team of worker bees regularly win awards for the special honey they produce together.

If you would like to learn a little bit about the magical world of bees then why not join Andrej on a unique “Belakapa Bee keeping experience”!

BEES UP CLOSE & PERSONAL - HELPING OUT AT THE APIARY – GET TO KNOW THE BELAKAPA BEE FAMILY

We have several bee hives located in different spots around our local nature so our bees can feed on what trees and flowers are blossoming at exactly the right time. So we will buzz over to the hive where the bees are working and join them for their next shift!

We will introduce you a very special and unique bee species called the Carniolian bee. Kranjska sivka in Slovenian or Apis mellifera carnica in Latin.

You will be wearing a professional beekeeper's suit, designed to keep out stings while you help Andrej work with the bees. You will also get lots of interesting bee facts & info and also see how the bees make their honey.

We promise to make you feel like a Queen Bee!

Duration: 1-3 hours

TRIP TO THE HOME OF BEEKEEPING – THE APIARY MUSEUM

So the Carniolian bee is a special and very popular Slovenian breed of bee and “Carniola” is the old name for a huge part of Old Slovenia. But did you also know that modern beekeeping methods, widely used all around the world, were actually invented during the 18th century here in Carniola?

There is even a “Beekeeping Home” in the old town of nearby Ilirska Bistrica by the riverside that you can go visit.

It is owned by a Bee Keeping Association and they are setting up a mini museum here, so you can see an interesting collection of ancient beekeeping tools, objects and lots of other bee stuff showing the history of beekeeping in Slovenia.

Duration: approx. 1 hour

HONEY TASTING - TRY DIFFERENT TYPES OF HONEY!

The taste and texture of honey depends completely on what the bees have been harvesting and grazing on.

So our bees eat all types of natural goodies at different times of the year and in different seasons, producing a really wide range of flavours, aromas and colours in the honey… and you can taste it all here at Belakapa!

We offer guided tasting with a professionally trained “sensory tester and honey evaluator’… or “Andrej” by his other name! You will get to try different types of honey and learn each basic characteristic to make the final difficult decision as to which is your overall favourite honey!

Typical honey flavours available will be Meadow Flowers, Acacia, Linden tree, Chestnut, Forest Meadow and Spruce tree, but of course it all depends on what the bees have been eating this season!

Duration: approx. 1 hour