Boštjan Noč was born in 1974 in Žirovnica, less than a kilometre away from the birthplace of one of the most renowned beekeepers Anton Janša. I practically grew up with bees, as beekeeping has been a tradition in the Noč family for several generations. I have been keeping bees since I was 13 years old, when I started with five bee colonies. At the age of 18, I was already responsible for over 80 colonies. As years passed, their numbers grew steadily, and in 2024, I prepared almost 400 honeybee colonies for winter. In my beekeeping practice, I exclusively use AŽ-beehives and Carniolan honeybees. I produce various types of honey, pollen, propolis, wax, foodstuffs from bee products, sparkling honey wine, cosmetics from bee products, etc. In recent years, I have been placing great emphasis on the production of European-protected Slovenian honey with a protected geographical indication in the top-quality scheme and on the gift programme of bee products.

In 2002, I tried myself in a more “official” role for the first time, as I was one of the initiators for the establishment of the Upper Gorenjska Beekeepers’ Association (later renamed to Gorenjska Beekeepers’ Association), becoming its first-ever president. In 2004, I became the vice president of the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association, and in 2007 its president. I have been presiding over it for more than 17 years.

These 17 years were marked by joint projects of Slovenian beekeepers, such as World Bee Day, the placement of Slovenian beekeeping on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage, Slovenian food day,  national and European honey breakfast, glass for bee products of Slovenian beekeepers, Slovenian honey drink bottle, uniform honey labels and stickers, promotion of beekeeping and the increase in annual honey consumption to more than 2 kg per Slovene (statistical data from the honey breakfast survey, which represents a doubling of honey consumption in 10 years), honey price increase (when entering the EU, the highest price on the market for beekeepers was little over EUR 3.00 (SIT 900) for 900 g – currently the price is around EUR 15.00), various free training programmes for beekeepers, numerous free courses for beginners, national apitherapy license, national beekeeper license, beekeeping as an elective subject in primary schools,  numerous promotional lectures for the general public and training for beekeepers, apitourism (certified beekeeping tourism), Apimedica & Apiquality 2010, ApiSlovenija Celje, organisation of international professional conferences, renovation of old beehives, publication of numerous professional publications (monograph on Slovenian beekeeping, the book Veliki ljudje slovenskega čebelarstva (Slovenian Beekeeping Greats), etc.) and films, participation in fairs such as AGRA with a beekeeping day, training disabled people in wheelchairs in a modified learning apiary and by issuing a  beekeeping manual, introducing beekeeping for people with special needs, evaluating honey and honey drinks, planting honey plants – the well-received project Preserve bees – »We reap what we sow« (project of planting buckwheat, sunflowers and pumpkins), planting linden and other honey trees in each municipality, at the birth of a child…, obtained EU protection for Slovenian honey with a protected geographical indication, promotion of quality schemes, fighting against systemically harmful pesticides for bees and joint success in this area together with MKGP, when we were the first in the EU to ban neonicotinoids, beekeeping classes and competitions for young beekeepers at the national and international level, setting-up of more than 30 educational apiaries at schools, issuing promotional and educational materials, providing co-financing for beekeeping equipment and co-financing for queen breeders, research and development work of ČZS, implementation of a concession for the Public Advisory Service in beekeeping, observation and forecasting service for honeydew secretion and breeding programmes, construction and establishment of a beekeeping library at ČZS, establishment of a laboratory at ČZS, construction of a beekeeping learning trail next to the Beekeeping Centre of Slovenia, which is adapted also for the blind and visually impaired, issuance of the World Bee Day coin, the 20 bees silver coin, setting up a memorial for the Carniolan honeybee and opening the House of the Carniolan honeybee in Višnja Gora, renovation of the commemorative Anton Janša plaque in Vienna and the addition of a new one in Slovenian language, handover of an apiary to the Pope in the Vatican, setting up apiaries for the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, at the UN headquarters in New York, in Trieste, Austrian Carinthia and Hungary, installation of educational apiaries for the purpose of providing education and training of beekeepers in several regions, a 3D Carniolan honeybee measuring almost 1 metre, design of a honey story pavilion, VR beekeeping applications and many others.  At my initiative, the state of Slovenia proposed to the EU an amendment to the honey labeling directive, namely that every jar of honey must have an accurate indication of the honey’s origin. This was also adopted by the European Parliament in April 2024.

I have written two books, the book Rojen za čebele (Born for Bees) and the manual Dobra čebelarska praksa (Good Beekeeping Practice), and I was one of the three main authors of the book Brez čebel ne bo življenja (Without Bees There Will Be No Life).

I am the initiator and the first representative of a consortium of European-protected Slovenian food products and products.

I am also a beekeeping lecturer on the following topics:

• Breeding queens for non-commercial use and basic selection in the Boštjan NOČ beehive
• Beekeeping in AŽ-beehives up to the first pasture, forming spare families and adding queens
• Beekeeping throughout the year with an emphasis on interrupting the egg laying phase and facilitating the management of varroa mites
• Slovenian beekeeping
• Good beekeeping practice
• Pollen extraction technology

I have received numerous accolades for my work, such as:

• International Golden Bee Award (2022)
• all highest decorations of the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association – 1st, 2nd and 3rd class Anton Janša Award,
• medal of merit from the President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor (2018) – for contribution to the development of beekeeping and sustainable agriculture and to maintaining balance in nature,
• protocol flag of the Republic of Slovenia – awarded by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor (2017),
• Silver medal at Apimondia 2017 in Turkey as co-author of the book No Bees, No Life
• title of honorary citizen of the municipality of Žirovnica (2018),
• plaque from the municipality of Žirovnica (2012),
• title of ambassador of the municipality of Ivančna Gorica (2022)
• miniature Janša beehive (2005) – the highest award of the Upper Gorenjska Beekeeping Association,
• Beekeeper of the Year award of the Upper Gorenjska Beekeeping Association (2015),
• plaque from the Gorenjska Beekeeping Association (2015)
• the highest award of the Beekeeping Association of Serbia (2011),
• plaque of the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia for Volunteering (2011),
• Knight of the Bee Queen Award (2011), awarded by the Italian NGO U.C.E.P.E,
• Golden Glavar award of the Peter Pavle Glavar Regional Association (2021),
• Crystal Triglav – award of the Slovenian Travel Press association for remarkable achievements in tourism (2018),
• plaque of Filip Terč for help and efforts in legalizing apitherapy (2017),
• Pislak award – Association of Professional Beekeepers of Slovenia (2018),
• Special UPU PGŽ award – for helping those affected by the earthquake in Banovina (2021)

He was born on February 20, 1973 in Aleksinac. He lives in Žitkovac near Aleksinac. He finished elementary school in Žitkovac, and high school in science and mathematics in Aleksinac. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Nis. He completed his specialization in epidemiology in July 2008 at the Faculty of Medicine in Niš, i.e. Institute for Public Health. He also completed the Apitherapy Course (March 2007) organized by the Ministry of Health of Bulgaria and the Balkan Beekeeping Federation.

He is the head of the Department of Home Treatment, Health Care and Epidemiology at the Health Center in Aleksinac. He was the director of the Aleksinac Health Center from December 31, 2014 to December 5, 2023. He is the president of the Committee for Protection against Hospital Infections of the Health Center Aleksinac. He is the head of the Smoking Cessation Counseling Center, which works within the Epidemiology Department of the Aleksinac Health Center. He is the coordinator of environmental protection affairs at the Aleksinac Health Center and head of the Medical Waste Management Team. He is the leader of the Environment Team within the accreditation process of the Aleksinac Health Center, as well as the Management Team. He is a volunteer member of the Committee for Protection against Hospital Infections of the Gerontological Center “Jelenac”, Home for Adults “Kulina” and General Hospital Aleksinac. He has been a reserve second lieutenant of the Medical Service of the Serbian Army since 2001.

He has two children with his wife Tanja, daughter Mladjana and son Andrija.

He has been raising bees since 1992. Beekeepers of Farrar’s hives. Since 2013, he is the owner of the Registered Agricultural Farm “Bosa” (RPG 700991001137).
He is the author of four beekeeping books “Contemporary Principles of Beekeeping 1 and 2” (2000, 2001), “How to Profit from Beekeeping” (2002) and “Handbook of Good Beekeeping Practice” (2007), with a total circulation of 5,900 copies. He is the editor and co-author of six beekeeping books: “Regulations in beekeeping with comments” (2013), “Quality standard <Good beekeeping practice>” (2014), “Beekeeping for the future” (2002), “Proceedings of the Second Congress of Beekeepers of Serbia” (2002), “Proceedings from the Second State Beekeeping Fair” (2010) and “Proceedings from the Seminar <Meeting Bees and Spring> (2014)”, and co-author of two books on pediatrics “Pediatric Reader” (2003) and “Neonatological guide” (2008). He is currently writing the fifth book: “New methods of beekeeping”.
He is also the co-author of two popular brochures for increasing the consumption of bee products “Honey – miraculous food and medicine for a healthier age” (2004) and “Honey – Ice” (2005), which were printed in a total circulation of over 1,000,000 copies.
He is the co-author of the brochure “Effective control of varroa with formic and oxalic acid” (2003) published by the Veterinary Specialist Institute from Niš. He is also the co-author of the brochure “Bee products – food and medicine” (1998). Until October 5, 2016, he held 406 beekeeping lectures attended by 32,310 beekeepers (Serbia – 328, Bosnia and Herzegovina – 30, Montenegro – 16, Croatia (EU) – 17, Slovenia (EU) – 9, Macedonia – 5, Russian Federation -2).
He is a two-time winner of Professor Živanović’s Diploma (1999, 2002), the highest award of the Association of Beekeeping Organizations of Serbia (SPOS), holder of the Gold Medal and the title of Meritorious Beekeeper of SPOS (2007). He also won the Charter of the Association of Beekeeping Organizations of Serbia for the development of beekeeping with a statuette (2007), on the occasion of the celebration of 110 years since the founding of the Association. He is also the recipient of the Memorandum of Gratitude of the Regional Association of Beekeeping Organizations of Southeast Serbia (2007). He is also the winner of a number of awards from beekeeping associations from Serbia and abroad.
On February 15, 2014, he was awarded a Gold Medal by the President of the Republic of Serbia for merits in beekeeping, and until then he was the only one in the history of Serbia who was awarded a state award for merits in the field of beekeeping.
He is an honorary member of Matica Beekeepers Association from Niš (2005). He was the editor of the beekeeping magazine Matica (October 1998 – March 1999), published by the Association of Beekeepers Matica from Niš, as well as the editor-in-chief of the magazine Pčelar (March 2004 – July 2007) and acting editor of the same in July 2014, which is published by SPOS, and in which he published more than 90 texts from 1993 until today. In the earlier period, he was also a member of the editorial staff of the magazine Pčelar (January 2001 – January 2003). He has been the supervisor of the production of the magazine Pčelar (now Srpski pčelar) since March 2008. He was a member of the editorial staff of the Slovenian beekeeping magazine “Slovenski čebelar” since January 2010. He cooperates or has cooperated with other beekeeping magazines, such as Melitagora, Pčelarstvo, Hrvatska pčela and Beogradski pčelar. He also collaborated with the Niš Narodni novine (2002), as well as with the Aleksinic biweekly Reč radnaka (since 2002), publishing articles on beekeeping.

He is the author of the script for the DVD film “Health from the Beehive” about the use of bee products in nutrition, prevention and treatment of diseases, which was published by SPOS in 2009 in 10,000 copies. He also participated in a TV show for the popularization of bee products as an apitherapist, which was presented on DVD to its customers since 2007 by the company for buying and processing honey Cmana promet (now Medino) from Krnjevo.

He was an expert associate of the Serbian computer magazine Svet komputera (July 1991 – May 1993). He also published articles in the only professional magazine for plant protection in FR Yugoslavia, Biljni lekar (1999), published by the Faculty of Agriculture in Novi Sad.

He was also the SPOS coordinator for cooperation with state authorities (2007), a member of the SPOS Marketing Commission (2004 – 2006), v. d. president of the Regional Association of Beekeeping Organizations of Southeast Serbia (April 2004 – July 2005), member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Queen Beekeepers from Niš (March 1998 – December 1999), president of the Commission for Health Protection of the Association of Queen Beekeepers from Niš (1997, 1998, and president of the Commission for SPOS bee health care (2010). He was the chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Second Beekeepers Congress (2002) and a member of the Third Beekeepers Congress of Serbia (2005). He was the technical organizer of 23 international professional seminars (2002 – 2022). association of beekeeping organizations of Southeast Serbia. He was the president of the Organizational Committee of all 15 State Beekeeping Fairs with international participation in the organization of SPOS (2009-2023). He was a member of the official delegation of SPOS at the 39th (Dublin, Ireland) 41st (Montpellier, France), 42nd (Buenos Aires, Argentina), 43rd (Kiev, Ukraine), 44th (Daejeon, South Korea) and 45th (Istanbul, Turkey) Congress of the International Beekeeping Federation Apimondia. He was a member of the special International Committee for the organization of the 3rd Apimondia International Forum on Apitherapy and the 2nd Apimondia International Forum on Apiquality, which took place in Slovenia from September 28 to October 2, 2010. He was the president of the local organizing committee of the Symposium of the world beekeeping organization Apimondia “APIECOTECH”, which was held on February 18 and 19, 2012 in Belgrade, in the Sava Center, organized by Apimondia and SPOS.
He was a member of the Working Group for Animal Husbandry of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Serbia (2013-2014).
He was a member of Negotiating Group 12 (food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary issues) for Serbia’s negotiations with the European Union (2014-2017).
He was a member of Working Group 6 of the National Convention on the European Union (NCEU) for the negotiation chapter 8 “Competition Policy” (2014-2017).
He was a member of the Operational Staff of the Government of the Republic of Serbia for coordinating the implementation of measures to combat the illegal production and trade of honey, honey-based preparations and other bee products (2016-2017).
He is a member of the Commission of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection for the expert assessment of the special properties of agricultural and food products and determining the fulfillment of the conditions for using the quality label “Serbian quality” (2017).
He was a member of the Working Group of the Veterinary Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection for amending the Rulebook on the quality of honey and other bee products (2017).

He is the president of the Aleksinac Beekeepers Association (since March 2000). By creating appropriate positive conditions, he managed to turn the long-standing wish of the beekeepers of his municipality into reality. On November 14, 2007, the municipality of Aleksinac was declared the first beekeeping municipality in Serbia. In 2014, a joint project of the Aleksinac Beekeepers Association, the municipality of Aleksinac and the municipal tourism organization OTIS established the first Serbian “Honey Route” right on the territory of the municipality of Aleksinac.

He was the vice president of the Serbian Apitherapy Society and a member of the Professional Council of the Serbian Apitherapy Society since 2007.
He is the vice-president of the Regional Association of Beekeepers of Southeast Serbia for education and marketing (since July 2005).
As the president of SPOS, he did a lot in the fight for the quality of honey on the Serbian market, from 2008 until today. In the fight for the quality of honey, he was exposed to threats, but in the end, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of the Interior, he managed to fight in 2011 even for the closure of the company Irikom from Batajnica, which was putting honey on the market that did not meet Rulebook on the quality of honey and other bee products. The same company later received a license to work again, and in 2014, through a tender, marketed its honey even in the restaurants of the Government of Serbia and the Assembly of Serbia, and after its application, it was determined that the honey was defective again and it was withdrawn. He also fought for the arrest of one of the biggest Serbian honey counterfeiters.

He was the deputy president of the Advisory Agricultural Association of the Nišava District from December 2009, and later a member of its Executive Board. He was the marketing manager and authorized representative for foreign and domestic trade of the Production and Trade Company Cmana Promet from Krnjevo (October 2007 – January 2008).

He was a member of the Working Group of the Plant Protection Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry of the Republic of Serbia for the review of the status of preparations from the group of neonicotinoids for the treatment of sunflower seeds with a mandate from July to December 2008.
He is a member of the Sector Council for the Agriculture, Food Production, Forestry, Fisheries and Veterinary Sector of the Accreditation Agency of the Republic of Serbia (since March 2024).
He is a member of the Board of Directors of NALED (National Alliance for Local Economic Development) since March 2024.

Since February 2008, he has been the president of the Association of Beekeeping Organizations of Serbia (SPOS) for six terms.

He is one of the 204 honorary winners of the new Serbian passport on the occasion of the 204th year of Serbian statehood (2008), due to the successful presentation of Serbian beekeeping abroad and as the youngest president of SPOS of all time.

USAID, an independent agency of the US Government, chose him, within the field of “Agricultural Cooperatives and Associations”, as one of the ten most successful directors of cooperatives, presidents of associations and presidents of management boards in the field of agriculture in Serbia in 2009, and sent him to three-week professional training in the USA in May 2009, which he successfully completed and received a certificate.

LEDIB, the Danish organization for the local economic development of the Balkans, organized a training for him on Danish soil in 2010, where he got acquainted with the agricultural advisory service of Denmark and its functioning.

JICA, the Japanese Agency for International Development, chose him as one of the five representatives of Serbian agriculture and in February and March 2013, organized training on Japanese soil, on how the Japanese market works and how to market Serbian agricultural products to Japan, in accordance with their legislation. After his return, he trained all interested Serbian honey packers, and gave them the necessary knowledge to perform on the demanding and specific Japanese market.

He is the holder of the CISCO certificate (2009) on completed training within the “iExec Business Essentials v.3.0” course, which is dedicated to training in the use of modern information technologies and the Internet in business, and effective and efficient clustering.

From March 13, 2014, he was the first official advisor for beekeeping in Serbia, in the Agricultural Advisory Service of Nišava District “Agrozem d.o.o.”.

In April 2012, he completed the training “LEADERSHIP AND ACHIEVING GOALS IN A TIME OF RAPID CHANGES”, LEADERSHIP 2 (Consulting/Training/Coaching), under the direction of Milan Valčić, a manager from the USA.

Mr Jorge Spiteri is currently the Deputy Chairperson for the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector [MCVS]. Since 2020, he was elected to represent the Environmental and Animal Welfare sectors in the same council. As the national representative of the Maltese young beekeepers for the International Centre for Young Beekeepers since 2021, he coordinates the selection and organisation of young aspiring beekeepers to participate in the International Meeting for Young Beekeepers. Concurrently, he is a voluntary administrator of the Malta Youth in Agriculture Foundation [MaYA] and the Malta Beekeepers’ Association [MBKA], volunteering as associate member with Projekt Lazarus Commandery – Malta.

Since 2013, he took up beekeeping activities in various localities around MALTA including educational institutions, public and private open spaces both in rural and urban settings. In parallel he aims to create awareness about the importance of the endemic honey bees and the local products as national heritage among people of all ages and backgrounds by carrying out apitourism experiences. During his involvement in apiculture, he has attracted media attention on the local apiculture heritage and assisted or coordinated beginner beekeeping courses with Friends of the Earth Malta. He has contributed to a number of studies relating to the Maltese honey bee with direct field work, interviews, and/or provision of honey bee products for analysis.

He was always at the forefront working on the conservation local honey bee: Apis mellifera ruttneri. By profession, he is qualified as an Architect and Civil Engineer and a Master of Knowledge based entrepreneurship from the University of Malta.

PERSONAL INFORMATION  

Date of birth: 9 November 1974

Nationality: German

Married

2 children

WORK EXPERIENCE

Date: October 1995 to present

Employer: Federal Ministry of Defence

Rank: Sergeant Major (OR-9)

Position: Aviation inspector (helicopter)/Auditor

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Bachelor Professional of Aeronautical Engineering and Operations (CCI),

Auditor DIN ISO 9001,

LANGUAGES SKILLS

English A1

France A2

DIGITAL SKILLS

Facebook, Instagram, Microsoft Office, Teams, Watts App,

HOBBIES AND INTERESTS

Beekeeping, Sport,

NETWORK AND MEMPERSHIP

2011 to present

Chairman regional district Weißenburg und Gunzenhausen of the Bavaria Beekeepers Association

2012 to 2020

Chairman regional district Mittelfranken of the Bavaria Beekeepers Association

2018 to present

President of the Bavaria Beekeepers Association

2019 to present

Vize-President of the German Beekeepers Association

2020 to present

Council member City Ellingen

THERE

Objective

An expert and qualified individual with four decades of experience in beekeeping, specializing in large-scale colony management, honey production and bee product processing, applying for the role of Beekeeper with Honey Productions. Has expertise in deploying innovative beekeeping techniques to increase productivity and profitability, while maintaining a strong commitment to sustainable practices.

Experience

01/2022 – Current   President of the Macedonian association of agricultural cooperatives             

01/2015 – Current       President of the Union of beekeeping associations of North Macedonia

2005 – Current              Certified organic producer of honey and bee products

   Current                        President of the permanent sub-sectoral group for honey at the Ministry of agriculture, forestry and water economy                                                                                                                              

   Current               President of the permanent sub-sector group for organic production at the Ministry of agriculture, forestry and water economy

   Current                        Мember of the Agricultural Council at the Ministry of agriculture, forestry and water economy

   Current                        Member of the management board of the National Rural Network

   Current                    Member of the Advisory Services Council at the Ministry of agriculture, forestry and water economy

   Current                         Member of the management board of the local action group Pelagonia

   Current                       President of the beekeeping association Nectar from Bitola

   Current                       President of Kaymakchalan ecological society

Current                          President of the association for organic production and ecology Melagro from Bitola

   Current                       President of the regional beekeeping union Via Ignacia

Education

Skills & abilities

• Environmental awareness: Beekeeping often involves ensuring sustainability in apiculture and understanding the ecological impact of beekeeping. Possessing environmental awareness allows you to make informed decisions that benefit both bees and their surrounding environment.
• Adaptability: Beekeeping can present a variety of challenges, such as fluctuating weather conditions, changing bee populations or evolving disease and pest issues. Being adaptable allows you to identify and address these challenges quickly to ensure the wellbeing of bee colonies.
• Patience: Patience and perseverance are important in beekeeping, as it involves working with living creatures and navigating various unexpected challenges. Having patience allows you to remain focused and committed to your work, even in difficult circumstances, so you can ensure the long-term health and success of your colonies.

Married, three children

Training

Greifswald Vocational School

Degree: Pharmaceutical Technical

Assistant

Studies at the Ernst-Moritz Arndt

University of Greifswald

Degree: Diploma in Chemistry (Dipl.

Chem.)

Pasewalk Extended Secondary School;

Degree:

University entrance qualification

Extended Secondary School

Neubrandenburg

Professional career

Pasewalk Polytechnic High School

Since August 1995 employed at the Pharmacy, Pasewalk

Volunteer work

Copa-Cogeca

Working Party Honey

Vicepresident since 11/2023

BeeLife Board since 02/2023

German Beekeepers’ Association e.V. President since October 2019

Assessor in the Presidium

October 2011 – October 2015

National Association of Beekeepers

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e.V.

1st Chairman October 2011 – January 2020

Honorary Chairman since January 2020

Imkerverein Pasewalk 1878 e.c. Chairman March 2010 – March 2020

Juozas Olekas is a Member of the European Parliament, elected in 2019. He is a medical doctor by profession, a doctor of medical sciences and an associated professor.

From 1996 until 2019 Juozas Olekas was a member of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. Previously, he was the Minister of Health (1990-1992 and 2003-2004) and the Minister of National Defense (2006-2008 and 2012-2016).

In the European Parliament he participates in the work of the Agriculture and Rural Development, the Foreign Affairs Committees and in the work of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence. He is the co-chair of the Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems & Apiculture group in the Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development Intergroup, and was the Shadow Rapporteur for the Honey directive in 2023.

Juozas Olekas is a fourth-generation beekeeper, who has joined the Lithuanian Beekeepers Association in 2009, and became a member of its board in 2021.  In 2023 he was elected President of the Lithuanian Beekeepers Association.

Biologist by profession, is deeply captivated by
the intricacies of nature. Her professional journey has been enriched
with invaluable experiences gained through study and work exchanges
abroad, active participation in Interreg, Cost, and Life projects,
organization of international meetings and symposiums, as well as
contribution to scientific papers within international consortiums.
Since 2018, she has served as the president of the Slovenian
Entomological Society of Štefan Michieli and holds a position on the
editorial board of the popular scientific journal/bulletin, Trdoživ.

Currently, Urška works as a Food Safety Advisor at the Slovenian
Beekeepers’ Association. In addition to her responsibilities, she serves
as the project manager for the Characterisation of Bee Products project,
sits on the professional board of the Anton Janša Beekeeping School,
and imparts knowledge as a lecturer on good hygienic practices in
beekeeping (rooted in HACCP principles), as well as on honey types and
quality. Her involvement has recently extended to the B-THENET project,
which is dedicated to harmonization of best beekeeping practices across
Europe.

EDUCATION

Certification in chemistry and hygiene

1982 – 1987                  Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science (RNDr.)

1978 – 1982                  Grammar school

PROFESSIONAL CAREER

2002 – present              Entrepreneur in the field of consultancy and representation of foreign companies in the food industry

1996 – 2002                  Specialist at a multinational business company

1987 -1996                   Specialist at a public health office

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY

Beekeeper since childhood; participated and won the national youth beekeeping competition “Golden Bee”. Member of the Czech Beekeepers´ Association for over 30 years. Worked in the Czech Beekeepers´ Association in various positions from the local to the national level and for 20 years as a member of the commission for work with beekeeping youth. Graduate of the Nasavrky Beekeeping School. Beekeeping teacher and lecturer.

Founder and President of ICYB – International Centre for Young Beekeepers (ICYB), a non-profit organization from the Czech Republic, dedicated to supporting young beekeepers worldwide especially in the field of education and international meetings. Main mission of ICYB is currently support and coordination of the project called IMYB – International Meeting of Young Beekeepers (IMYB).

Founder and Main Coordinator of IMYB – International Meeting of Young Beekeepers (IMYB) taking place annually since 2010. Coordinator for organizing the international IMYB meeting. Delegating and supporting new IMYB organizers. IMYB is the world’s largest gathering of young beekeepers. This annual competition serves as a unique platform for young beekeeping enthusiasts worldwide to exhibit their skills, foster global networks, and share best practices. So far, IMYB has been organized in the following countries: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Germany, Austria, Great Britain, France and Slovenia. Since 2010, over 1,000 young beekeepers from more than 43 different countries have participated in the IMYB and represented their national colours.

PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL BEEKEEPING CONGRESSES

• 43rd International Apicultural Congress Apimondia – Kyiv (Ukraine) 2013 – member of the official delegation of the Czech Beekeepers’ Association
• 44th International Apicultural Congress Apimondia – Daejeon (South Korea) 2013 – lecturer
• 21st International Congress Apislavia – Almaty (Kazakhstan) 2016 – lecturer + speech at the opening ceremony of the congress
• International Scientific and Educational Conference “Bee and Man” Moscow (Russia) 2017 – lecturer
• 22nd International Congress Apislavia – Moscow (Russia) 2018 – lecturer + speech at the opening ceremony of the congress
• 11th Arab Beekeepers Union conferencein Jiyeh – Beirut (Lebanon) 2018 – lecturer + awarded guest
• International ministerial and professional conference “Global challenges in beekeeping” Žirovnica (Slovenia) 2018 – lecturer
• 46th International Apicultural Congress Apimondia – Montreal (Canada) 2019

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Czech (native), English (active), German (active) and Russian (active)

I live in the middle parts of Sweden 49 years. I run a farm, with beekeeping as the main proffesion. I have cut down on the number of hives due to the pricefall of honey in Sweden. I have today around 300 hives, i mainly produce bulk. I am president of the organisation Honungsringen. Honungsringen is a very small organisation that only strives to ensure the quality of Swedish honey and beeswax, and ofcourse try to reveal some of all the fake imported honey via analyses.

No biography

Born on 9 May 1969 in Ogulin, Croatia, married, two daughters. Live in Zagreb.
In 1995 I finished Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture University of Zagreb. In 2002, I obtained the title of Master of Science in the field of mechanical engineering. Currently I work for Končar Power Transformers in Zagreb as PLM manager and developer.
As a beekeeper I started in 2010. I finished beekeeper school in Moravice, Croatia, in 2011. I have an apiary near Vrbovsko in Gorski Kotar, Croatia. I use AŽ beehives.
I am active member of Beekeeper Society Zagreb, currently at vice president function. I am maintenance web page of our Society and I lead several projects that we realize every year. One of the main projects that we realize every year is the Little School of Beekeeping, which is free for all participants. I have also been participating in the organization of the international honey quality competition Zzzagimed for many years, for which I also created a web application for evaluating honey samples. As hobbies I will mention photography, video, bicycling, 3D printing and on the first place beekeeping because I am not professional beekeeper.

No biography

I was born in Zvornik (BiH) in 1959 and finished primary

and secondary school in Doboj (BiH). I graduated from the

Faculty of Economics in Belgrade.

I have been beekeeping since 1987. and since then I have

been a member of the beekeeping organization. I am a

beekeeper with about 100 bee colonies in LR hives. I am

advocating for the development of Urban Beekeeping and

have created several mini apiaries on the roofs of office

buildings in Belgrade (Hyatt Regency Hotel, TC UŠĆE, TC

ADAMALL, NAVIGATOR, etc.) with the aim of showing the city population the importance of

bees in preserving a healthy environment.

I am the president of the Belgrade Association of Beekeepers.

I am on the list of official lecturers of SPOS and I have given several lectures on beekeeping.

I organized and led several beekeeping courses for beginners. At the EPALE conference in 2022.

the “Urban Beekeeping” course organized by the Belgrade Beekeepers Association was included

in the publication Example of Good Practices in Adult Education in 2022. I am certified at the

University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Philosophy for adult education.

I finished the APIPEDAGOGY course organized by the Belgrade Association of Beekeepers in

cooperation with the SLOVENIAN BEEKEEPING ACADEMY. I held several beekeeping workshops

for children of school and preschool age.

For the last 25 years, I have been the director and owner of a company for import, export and

trade of ferrous metallurgy products.