Janez Modic (5 April 1846 - after 1892)[1] [2] was a Carniolan apiarist, bee merchant, and editor. He played a significant role in laying the foundations of organized apiculture in Slovenia.[2]
Janez Modic was born in Dvorska Vas.[1] [3] [4] As a young man, he served in the Austro-Hungarian military, attaining the rank of sergeant. He took part in the Battle of Custoza in 1866.[2]
After his military service, he was active in industry, initially in Bohinjska Bistrica.[2] He moved to Jesenice by 1879,[1] where he was involved in the bee trade.[1] Modic distributed colonies of bees in hives, swarms, and queen bees, and also employed a beekeeper.[2] In addition to his involvement in apiculture, he also prospected for ore deposits and was a hunter.[2] Modic founded the Jesenice-based Carniolan Beekeepers and Orchardists Society (Slovenian: Čebelarsko in sadjarsko društvo za Kranjsko) on 20 May 1883 as a counterweight to the Vienna-based beekeeping association[2] and he served as its president.[5] [6] He published the Ljubljana-based newsletter Slovenski čebelar in sadjerejec (The Slovenian Beekeeper and Orchardist) from 1883 to 1889.[1] [3] [7]
In the late 1880s, Modic's business activities went into decline.[2] After the society ceased operating in 1889, Modic left his house and property in Sava[2] and moved away to Carinthia, Austria.[1] His date and place of death are unknown,[1] [6] but he died after 1892.[2]