Beside caricatures, painted beehive panels are the richest treasure of satirical motifs in older Slovene art. The article deals with the most frequently used satirical motifs in painted beehive panels and draws attention to their historical and social origins. Satirical motifs were often copied from prints or popular publications in circulation around Europe. However, at the time of the origin of a painted beehive panel the motif had to present something from living folk traditions and refer directly to the life of the rural population.