Successful implementation of training courses for beekeepers mine victim, BiH

As part of the project “Beekeeping as a tool of empowering for mine victims from Bosnia and Herzegovina – Phase 4”, a four-day training  was completed on Thursday, March 21, 2024. The training was attended by over 40 beekeepers from all over BiH, who were addressed by the ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia in BiH, H. E. Damjan Sedar and Nebojša Vidaković, Assistant Minister for  Veterans and Disabled Persons’ Protection of the Government of the Republic of Srpska.

Lectures in Banja Luka were held by the instructors of the Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia on the following topics:

  • Beekeeping Tasks by Month and Queen breeding – handling and management

(Mitja Smrdel, president of the Slovenian Professional Beekeepers Association),

  • Summer brood interruption as strategy for effective Varroa control

(Mateja Ratiznojnik, Veterinary Faculty University of Ljubljana) and

  • Swarming – Prevention and control, Honeybee nutrition in winter months

(Gorazd Trušnovec, president of the Urban Beekeepers Association of Slovenia).

 

The central purpose of the project is to empower beekeepers, mine victims, with knowledge that will help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their beekeeping activity. Beekeeping makes it possible to establish stable household incomes and improve the quality of life of vulnerable social groups. In general, beekeeping is extremely suitable for small-scale agricultural activities in places where capital and technological resources are limited, therefore it offers many employment opportunities for people with disabilities, since it is based on work at home.

The project “Beekeeping as a means of empowering mine victims from Bosnia and Herzegovina – Phase 4” is carried out in partnership with the humanitarian, non-profit organization ITF Enhancing Human Security (ITF) and the local partner Organization of Amputees UDAS Republika Srpska. The project is financed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia.

Beekeeping Academy hosts Postgraduate Fellow from Harvard University

Haley Benbow is a Postgraduate Fellow from Harvard University who is in Slovenia to study beekeeping and its relation to Slovenian culture. She will be working in partnership with the Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, through September 2024. Her academic background is in food studies, public health, and environmental science, but with this project, she is taking an anthropological approach. She is interested in learning as much as possible through visits to Slovenian cultural institutions, participating in apiculture activities, and speaking with people working in all aspects of beekeeping and its related products.

Beekeeping project from BiH is making waves all the way to Ukraine

The March edition of the Ukrainian beekeeping newspaper, Pasika, featured an article spotlighting our initiative, highlighting how beekeeping serves as a significant empowering tool for vulnerable communities, including mine and UXO survivors.

Since 2021, in collaboration with partners ITF Enhancing Human Security and The Organization of Amputees Republike Srpske (UDAS), we’ve been working to equip survivors with the skills and resources needed to establish small-scale beekeeping businesses. Through comprehensive training sessions, study visits, and the establishment of the Beekeeping Center in Banja Luka, we’re not only providing a sustainable source of income but also fostering confidence, independence, and a sense of purpose among participants.

Beekeeping isn’t just a hobby; it’s a fulfilling activity and a tool for social inclusion and empowerment. As one participant put it, “Ovo nije hobi, ovo je ljubav” – “This is not a hobby, it’s love”.

The entire article is available at the following link: Beekeeping project from BiH published in Ukrainain beekeeping newspaper

 

ApiSlovenia 2024

The ApiSlovenia fair is the largest professional beekeeping event in Europe and has traditionally been held for more than 40 years. In addition to the exhibition program, ApiSlovenia also offers expert lectures on beekeeping. On Saturday, March 16 and Sunday, March 17, 2024, Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia presented at the exhibition area  four hand-made models of beehives (in a uniform scale of 1:25), which represent the typology of Slovenian beehives. They are part of the Slovenian cultural landscape and the rich heritage of folk architecture, beekeeping and unique folk art – the painting of beehive panels. The beehives are the work of architect Damjan Popelar (https://www.galeriakozolec.si/), who reconstructed them on the basis of archival field photographs of the Slovenian Ethnographic Museum from the middle of the 20th century and the Register of old beehives, which has been managed by the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association since 2014.

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu visits Slovenia

At the invitation of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, visited Slovenia. In the field of bee diplomacy, the president highlighted the possibility of including FAO in the partnership project of the ITF Enhancing Human Security (ITF), the Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia of the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia and the Organization of Amputees UDAS Republike Srbske, as well as the possibility of expanding this project to other regions. In this connection, the director of the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Prof. Andrej Simončič PhD and director of the ITF MSc Tomaž Lovrenčič, presented on Tuesday, February 13, 2024 the good practices of Slovenian institutes and the joint project “Beekeeping as a tool for empowerment mine victims from BiH”, which should be expanded to Lebanon and Ukraine. The project’s goals coincide with FAO’s commitment to sustainable agriculture and highlight the transformative potential of honey production for mine victims, and beekeeping itself not only provides an additional source of income or household income, but also has a healing potential and builds resilience in war-affected communities. The Director-General of FAO expressed his satisfaction and support for such projects, which are based on the transfer of expertise with the aim of achieving long-term results and which include vulnerable social groups. The discussion went in the direction how this initiative can bring about positive change around the world.

 

The main donor of the project “Beekeeping as a tool for empowermrnt mine victims from BiH” is Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

Predavanje o apiturizmu za čebelarje iz Slovaške

Slovenska čebelarska akademija (SČA) je sredi marca 2023 gostila 32 čebelarjev iz Slovaške od tega 11 čebelark. Gostovanje slovaških čebelarjev je rezultat uspešne predstavitve SČA na lanskoletnem kongresu Apimondia v turiškem Istanbulu, na katerem se je SČA dogovorila za študijski obisk v Sloveniji s predstavnico Slovaške čebelarske zveze, tj. Juríčková Zuzana. Na Kmetijskem inštitutu je 16. marca 2023 SČA organizirala izobraževanje na temo apiturizem, ki ga je izvedla čebelarska inštruktorica Tanja Arih Korošec, ustanoviteljica blagovne znamke ApiTours turistične agencije Aritours in koordinatorka delovne skupine za apiturizem pri Apimondiii.

Izobraževanje na temo Raznolikost čebelarskih praks za trajnostno čebelarstvo, je zajemalo sklope:

  •  Svetovni turistični trendi, ki vodijo turistično ponudbo,
  • Sistem certificiranja ponudnikov čebelarskega turizma v Sloveniji,
  • Apiturizem kot gospodarska priložnost in dodana vrednost klasičnemu turizmu ter
  • prikaz dobrih primerov praks korporativnega razvoja v Sloveniji.

 

Čebelarji iz Slovaške so naslednji dan obiskali še sejem ApiSlovenija in si ogledali razstavni prostor Slovenske čebelarske akademije.

Education in June 2021

On June 10, 2021, a webinar was held on the topic of Secrets of the success of Slovenian beekeeping under the auspices of the Slovenian Beekeeping Academy. It was attended by 35 individuals, beekeepers and beekeeping enthusiasts from abroad. Dr. Peter Kozmus prepared a presentation on Slovenian beekeeping intended for the general public, presented the reasons for the success of Slovenian beekeepers, told something about the organization of Slovenian beekeepers, the history and natural conditions under which beekeepers work in Slovenia. Positive projects were also presented (traditional Slovenian breakfast, World Bee Day initiative, beekeeping tourism in Slovenia and queen breeding), and a few words were dedicated to beekeeping technology, Apis Mellifera Carnica, and the Slovenian Beekeeping Academy and its educational programmes. The event was well received among the participants because it offered a lot of information or as one of the participants wrote: “I appreciate the opportunity to learn from beekeeping experts from Slovenia.”

On June 17, 2021, we organized a webinar for American beekeepers on the topic of Beekeeping with AŽ hives. This time, 15 beekeepers attended the webinar on the topic of Presentation of the basic inspection of bee colonies in the AŽ hive. Under the mentorship of prof. dr. Janko Božič and BAS beekeeping instructor Dominik Jelenc there were told some theoretical basics in the first part of the webinar, and then a practical overview of the basic overview of bee families directly from the apiary at the Botanical Garden in Ljubljana. Participants learned what to look for during basic inspection of bee colonies, learned what weather conditions are suitable for examining colonies and also it was demonstrated in practice how to manage combs so that bee colony will be more successful at the peak of the season and have a larger yield of honey. At the end of the webinar, the participants asked a lot of questions and the webinar was well received, as one of the participants says: ‘‘ I think the training was well done. I find it very valuable that you have shown what has been said with the help of practical video content and live streaming from the apiary. ”

 

Celebrating World Bee Day on 20th of May

At Slovenia’s initiative, the 20th of May was declared World Bee Day by the United Nations (UN) in 2018. This day marks the birthday of the greatest Slovenian beekeeper Anton Janša. This year’s motto of the celebration is “Get involved – building new foundations for bees”.

In the 18th century, Anton Janša and Peter Pavel Glavar left a big mark in the field of teaching and education in Slovenia. Anton Janša was the first teacher of beekeeping at the Beekeeping School in Vienna and the author of important works such as: the Discourse on the Swarming of Bees and the Comprehensive Science of Beekeeping. Peter Pavel Glavar, whose 300th birthday is being celebrated this year, was the initiator of educating beekeepers in the Slovene language, which was intended primarily for the common peasant population in order to improve their social and economic conditions. He founded the first beekeeping school in Slovenia in Komenda and later at Lanšprež in the Lower Carniola region.

Successful beekeeping has always been based on a good knowledge of bees and beekeeping technology. The Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia, which was also founded in 2018, strives to spread and pass on Slovenian beekeeping knowledge, experience and findings to the wider world.

In the coming days, a series of events will take place in Slovenia and around the world to mark this year’s World Bee Day. At four international events, the Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia will present its activities and newly created programs, which it will implement in this year’s beekeeping season:

1. Online event of the Slovenian Embassy in Copenhagen (Denmark) in cooperation with the European Environment Agency: Listen to the Bees, time of the event: 20. 5. 2021, at 10.00

More about the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/136015818555716/?ref=newsfeed

Webinar link: http://eea.livebit.it/

2. Web conference of the Slovenian Consulate General in Cleveland in cooperation with the Ohio State Beekeepers Association: World Bee Day, time of the event: 20. 5. 2021 at 12.00 pm (EST)

More about the event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-bee-day-tickets-142278297217

3. Online international forum organized by the Russian Association for International Cooperation in cooperation with the Society of Friendship and Cultural Relations with Slovenia, the Slovenia-Russia Association and the Russian National Association of Beekeepers: Bee – a symbol of life, friendship and peace, time of the event: 21. 5. 2021

4. Online event in cooperation with the Slovenian Embassy in Skopje and the Nature Conservation Program in North Macedonia: World Bee Day, time of the event: 24.5.2021

Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia announces a lecture by Dr. Peter Kozmus

DATE: 10 June 2021, 5pm (UTC)
TITLE OF THE WEBINAR: The secrets of Slovenian beekeeping success
LECTURE by dr. Peter Kozmus
The webinar is free of charge*

The webinar is intended for all the beekeepers and beekeeping enthusiasts who are interested into Slovenian beekeeping tradition, history, and efforts to preserve Carniolan honey bee. Dr. Kozmus will present the reasons why Slovenian beekeepers are successfull in their endavours, how they are organized, what are the conditions under which they work and point on particular projects with positive impact. Briefly also Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia will be presented and its educational programmes.

Dr. Peter Kozmus is Vice President of APIMONDIA, International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations, professional leader of Breeding program for Carniola honeybee in Slovenia and president of the Council for beekeeping at the Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry and Food in Slovenia. He also is the leader for World Bee Day initiative at Slovenian Beekeepers Association. Furthermore he is a beekeeper with more than 25 years of experience and around 100 bee colonies. His passion is rearing of the queens and the concern for preserving Carniolan bees in Slovenia.

*If you would like to attend the webinar – apply to sca@kis.si until 5 June 2021.

American beekeepers are trained by the Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia

Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia (BAS), an organisational unit of the Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, successfully conducted two online educational events for American beekeepers on the subject of beekeeping with AŽ hives in collaboration with beekeeping instructors. 70 American beekeepers attended online educational events held on 26/ 3/2021 and 2/ 4/2021 via the Zoom platform.

Under the mentorship of prof. dr. Janko Božič (Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana), in collaboration with dr. Lucija Žvokelj (National Veterinary Institute, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ljubljana) and experienced beekeeper and instructor Mitja Smrdel, the BAS conducted educational consultations on two separate levels of complexity, bringing American beekeepers closer to beekeeping with AŽ hives. Anton Žnideršič developed a hive around the turn of the 20th century, and today, more than 90% of Slovenian beekeepers use it as a significant Slovenian invention. The course introduced American beekeepers to the specifics of beekeeping with AŽ hives, as well as different aspects of bee health and answered questions about essential beekeeping activities.

The Belgrade Beekeepers’ Association (BUP) invites BAS to participate

The Belgrade Beekeepers’ Association (BUP) asked the Beekeping Academy of Slovenia to organise one lecture in a series of webinars for a wider audience of beekeepers in the Western Balkans at the beginning of March 2021. Dominika Koritnik Trepel, an American beekeeping instructor, gave a two-hour lecture on “Apitourism as an innovative branch of tourism,” which was attended by 59 people. The lecture was given in Serbian. More… >  here