Profile details                                                            

Ivan Bjorholm Nielsen is myself, who is the owner and founder of the farm. I was born in 1970 and originally educated as a farm manager.

 

The education as an operations manager in agriculture provides a good background, when it comes to keeping track of many threads in a very hectic summer season.

The theoretical side of the breeding work is not foreign to me either, as it was an important part of my work with dairy cattle. After I left dairy farming, I worked for 3 years, as a full-time employee on a beefarm, where the main focus was queen breeding. In parallel with this job, I gradually expanded my then part-time beekeeping. This combination of experience, gives me a good background, when decisions have to be made in a hurry.

 

My beekeeping business has been developing gradually since 1999. I bought my small farmstead in 1999, with the firm goal that it should become the framework of a full-time beekeeping business for at least myself. Today I have a full-time job for myself, plus at least two employees in the main season.

 

An important aim for me in my work, and the development of the farm, is that we must be able to see ourselves in the mirror, with a clear conscience, and the work must not become work just for the sake of the work.

 

On a daily basis, my main focus, and area of responsibility, is breeding work and selection of breeding material, as well as everything in relation to communication and talking/chatting on the phone. In addition, I also have to keep track of accounts, paperwork in general, lectures and visits + everything else invisible outside. Effectively all the stuff that work as glue in a increasing complex operation.

One person alone does not run this beekeeping operation alone.

 

Beekeeping is not something that only takes place in the summer, but of course the amount of work is at its greatest in the hot part of the year.

To cope with these seasonal fluctuations, the number of hands and heads fluctuates throughout the year.

 

Helena Laczkova started in 2018 here on the farm as 'Butterfly', and as such was the indispensable help for the incidental work such as honey hunting, caring for bee colonies, packing and caring for mating nucs. To this comes all sorts of other tasks that arise in a busy everyday.

Helena became so hooked on the work here, that she has actually returned to Himmerland every year, when the sun has climbed so high up in the sky, that she can keep warm. Her duties, and responsibilities, have evolved over time, and today she has the daily practical responsibility for the practical part of the production of the new queens.

Helena is a lovely ray of sunshine to work with. Always curious (in the good way) about the underlying things in beekeeping, and at most times with a nice infectious mood.

 

Jaanus Kask will start with us in the early spring of 2021. His area of responsibility will be a fairly extensive production of nucs for sale, which we have taken over in connection with the takeover of most of a colleague's beekeeping. Jaanus has several years of experience in commercial beekeeping, and production of nucs on a large scale. He will be working here on a close to full year basis.
Jaanus is an unusually pleasant person, who takes on most challenges with exalted composure.

 

This year we a whole pack of butterflies. They are all attending the Estonian beekeeper education, and chooses to use their internship period to try hands at Danish queen breeding and commercial beekeeping. They will be working here from April to early August.
It will be interessting to hear their impressions and points of view on our operation.

Butterfly what is it?

Butterflies are the lovely people who, for various reasons, are curious to know more about professional bee and queen breeding, and who therefore choose to spend a few weeks, or months, of the summer, helping out here on the farm. This daily hands-on experience provides a completely different insight into the topic than if you read articles, or hear lectures, on the topic. If you are interested in spending some time with us, a group of 'crazy beekeepers', you are welcome to call or write to find out more. The salary paid will probably not be the largest you have experienced, but insights and experiences in the long run will often be worth much more than the salary paid. If you come from far away, we may be able to help with accommodation and meals.

By the way: Butterfly in danish language is Sommerfugl, which in direct translation means Summerbird :-)