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Dear friends
September is the favoured month for bee conferences and meetings, because it comes early in the beekeeping season for people in the southern hemisphere, and at the end of season for many beekeepers in northern climes. So for example, the APIMONDIA International Beekeepers Congress is held in September every second year – with the next Congress in Turkey in late September 2017. This means that many events are scheduled to take place in the alternate year, and this month has been a full one for international bee meetings. In the Caribbean has been the Eighth Caribbean Congress, in South America the APIMONDIA ApiBio Symposium on Organic Beekeeping, in Africa, Uganda Honey Week (now becoming a major event for Africa) as well at the ApiTrade Africa event in Rwanda. So if you are planning a bee event for 2017 or 2018 – check our website calendar and this Journal to be sure of unique dates!
Well planned international beekeeping events provide a boost for the apiculture sector of the host nation – this is because beekeeping is often rather low down political agendas, and an international meeting brings in visitors and showcases the national industry. Non-beekeepers are always surprised to experience the great interest and curiosity of visiting beekeepers who never tire of looking at other people’s bees, honey and apicultural set-ups. Of course it is impossible for most beekeepers to travel to these event, and in this magazine we aim to bring you at least some of the interest and flavour of these international meetings.
Also in this edition is more information from Professor Tom Seeley and Dr Wolfgang Ritter about swarming – explaining why swarming bees are healthy bees – you read it here first!
