|
|
|
|
| Pobox 80056, 3508 TB, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 620026754, Email |
|
A succesful course “Bees and Pollination” in Costa Rica, August 2016
In August 2016 we held the international course BEES AND POLLINATION in Costa
Rica at the Centro de Investigaciones Apicolas (CINAT) of the Universidad
Nacional (UNA) in Heredia. The maximum number of twenty participants came from
all over the world, mostly Europe.
A major objective of this academic course
was to introduce participants in the diversity of bee-plant relations focusing
on the wealth of pollination syndromes to be studied in Costa Rica. The now
worldwide acknowledged role of bees as major pollinators was the background for
our course. Costa Rica was chosen as a course venue because of its tropical
richness with many species of bees and related floral diversity. The long-time
bee research cooperation between CINAT and Utrecht University, The Netherlands,
was also important.
During the whole course, alongside the program of lectures and practicals,
students were working in teams of three on “Team Study Projects”. These
concerned practical observations and experiments on bees and/or plants. The
major program of lectures and demonstrations dealt with bee behavior and flower
(pollination) biology. We extensively demonstrated the biology of “orchid bees”,
“stingless bees” and relevant details of honeybee biology. We could further
demonstrate local bumblebees and solitary bees and, of course, the keeping of
Africanized Honeybees. All students were excited by the richness of this program
and we are planning to repeat this course in Costa Rica in 2018.
Course participants
Orchid excursion
Stingless bee observation
Class room lab
Henry Arce with flowers
Eduardo Herrera (L) with Stingless Bees
Luis Sanchez demonstrating
On our way to rain forest
Marinus J. Sommeijer,
m.j.sommeijer@uu.nl and
Contact: Rinus Sommeijer |
