Background
Anton Janša was born to Slovene parents in Breznica, Carniola (now in Slovenia).
Anton Janša was born to Slovene parents in Breznica, Carniola (now in Slovenia).
He was educated as a painter, but was employed as a teacher of apiculture at the Habsburg court in Vienna. His brother Lovro actually finished his studies at the academy and became a professor there, but Anton, despite a talent for painting, soon discovered that his true interests were in bee-keeping.
Janša is known as a pioneer of modern apiculture and a great expert in the field His exact birth date is not known, however, he was baptised on 20 May 1734. His interest came early on, since his father had over one hundred hives at home and neighbouring farmers would gather at the village and discuss farming and bee-keeping.
He kept bees in the imperial gardens (Augarten) and travelled around Austria presenting his observations in regard to moving hives to various pastures.
He died in Vienna.
He also wrote two books in German: Discussion on Bee-keeping (1771) and A Full guide to Bee-keeping. The latter was published in 1775, after his death.
In his Full guide he noted: Bees are a type of fly, hardworking, created by God to provide man with all needed honey and wax. Amongst all God"s beings there are none so hard working and useful to man with so little attention needed for its keep as the bee.
In bee-keeping he is noted for changing the size and shape of hives to a form where they can be stacked together like blocks.
As a painter he also decorated the fronts of hives with paintings. Janša rejected the belief that the male bees are water carriers and assumed that the queen-bee is fertilized mid-air. He advocated moving hives to pastures.
Janša Beehive was preserved by Slovene bee-keepers and in 1884 a plaque was put on the house where he was born.
The Museum of Apiculture in Radovljica is also named after him.