
Josef Antonín Janiš (Germanized as Joseph Janisch; 6 February 1749 – 15 November 1821) was a
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
Catholic priest and beekeeper. He wrote several books on bee-keeping in the Czech language and in 1789 he was among the first to suggest
parthenogenetic
Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek + ) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which the embryo develops directly from an egg without need for fertilization. In animals, parthenogenesis means the development of an embryo from an unfertiliz ...
development of drones from the eggs of unfertilized queen bees.
Biography
Janiš was born in
Lanškroun
Lanškroun (; ) is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,800 inhabitants. It lies on the border of the historical lands of Bohemia and Moravia. The historic town centre is well preserved ...
and studied theology. He became a parish priest at
Hostivař near Prague in 1789. Between 1777 and 1804 he translated several works into Czech including a work on bees by
Anton Janša in 1777 under the pseudonym J. A. Trutnovský. He also wrote a book on
flax
Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...
cultivation in 1816. He practiced beekeeping and wrote on both agriculture and apiculture. In 1796 he moved to
Hněvčeves and lived there until his death. He introduced portable hives and several of his writings were unpublished at the time of his death. He was made a corresponding member of the ''KK ökonomisch-patriotische Gesellschaft im Königreich Böhmen'' in 1795. In 1789 he experimentally proved that an unfertilized queen bee produces only eggs that produced drones.
References
External links
Aučinlivé sprawowánj Wčel(1789)
Praktische Bienenpflege für den Landmann im Königreiche Böheim(1789)
Jozefa Antonjna Janisse Faráře w Hostiwaři aučinliwé sprawowánj Wčel pro obecného Kragana w Králowstwj Cžeském s dwěma mědodckami, a potřebnými wyobrazenj, tež Kalendářem wčelným na každý měsýc celého roku a poznamenánjm wssech z wětssj částky v wčelařů obyčegných slow smyslných, neb přjslow(1789)
Unterricht über den Anbau, die Pflege, Erndte und Zubereitung des Flachses für den Landmann, nach zwanzigjähriger Erfahrung(1816)
Poučenj o setj, hleděnj a zkljzenj lnu y o připrawowánj ho k přediwu(1818)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Janis, Josef Antonin
1749 births
1821 deaths
People from Lanškroun
19th-century Czech Roman Catholic priests
Beekeepers