About the Series of Caribbean Beekeeping Congresses
The series of Caribbean Beekeeping Congress was conceptualised by Tobago beekeeper, Gladstone Solomon, who, having attended the 35th congress of the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations (Apimondia) in Switzerland in 1995, was so impressed by the overall learning experience that he decided to replicate a miniature of the event in the region to provide opportunities for his regional colleagues to have similar experiences.
During the first congress in the series, held in Tobago in November 1998, participants unanimously endorsed the staging of a second regional congress, with several delegates undertaking to make representation for hosting of same on their return home. Successive congresses were held in Nevis in 2000, Jamaica in 2002, Trinidad in 2005, Guyana in 2008, Grenada in 2011 and St. Croix in 2014, Tobago in 2016, Guyana in 2018 and now Saint Lucia in 2020.
The broad objectives of the Caribbean Congress series are to:
- Serve as a forum for discussion of the challenges and opportunities facing the Caribbean beekeeping community.
- Identify appropriate strategies for advancing the sector.
- Facilitate interaction and regional camaraderie amongst stakeholders in a learning environment.
Dates, Venue, Theme and Host of previous Caribbean Beekeeping Congresses
17th – 20th November, 1998.
- Mt. Irvine Bay Hotel, Tobago.
- Securing the Future of Caribbean Beekeeping.
- Tobago Apicultural Society and the Division of Agriculture, Lands and Marketing, Tobago House of Assembly.
14th – 18th August, 2000.
- Old Manor Hotel, Gingerland, Nevis.
- Expanding the Horizons for Caribbean Beekeepers.
- Nevis Beekeepers Cooperative Society Limited and the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing, Co-operatives & Fisheries, Nevis Island Administration.
16th – 20th September, 2002.
- Jamaica Conference Centre, Kingston, Jamaica.
- Beekeeping Strategies for Reaping Sweet Success.
- All Island Bee Farmers’ Association, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the GOJ/EU Eastern Jamaica Agriculture Support Project.
14th – 18th November, 2005.
- Crowne Plaza, Port of Spain, Trinidad.
- Adding Value to Caribbean Beekeeping.
- The Beekeeping Associations of Trinidad and Tobago, the Ministry of Agriculture, Landand Marine Resources, and the Association of Caribbean Beekeepers’ Organisations.
10th – 14th November, 2008.
- Guyana International Conference Centre, Demerara-Mahaica, Guyana.
- Promoting Organic Beekeeping in Guyana and the Caribbean through Strategic Investment.
- Guyana Beekeepers’ Association, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Association of Caribbean Beekeepers’ Organisations.
23rd– 27th May, 2011.
- St George’s University,True Blue, Grenada.
- Strengthening, Securing and Sustaining Caribbean Beekeeping.
- Grenada Association of Beekeepers, the Government of Grenada, St. George’s University, Grenada, and the Association of Caribbean Beekeepers’ Organisations.
26th –30th May, 2014.
- University of the Virgin Islands, Kingshill, St Croix, USVI.
- Strategies for Sustaining Small Scale Beekeeping Operations.
- University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service, the Association of Caribbean Beekeepers’ Organisations, the Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab, University of Florida; and the East Caribbean Bee Research and Extension Center, St. George’s University.
12th –16th September, 2016.
- Rovanel’s Resort and Convention Centre, Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago.
- Connecting the Caribbean through Beekeeping
- The Tobago House of Assembly, The Association of Caribbean Beekeeping Organisations and the Tobago Apicultural Society
19th –23rd November, 2018.
- Guyana School of Agriculture, Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, Guyana.
- Natural Beekeeping for a Green Caribbean
- Guyana School of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Guyana Apicultural Society
22nd –27th November, 2020.
- Castries, Saint Lucia.
- Appiculture, a Bio-Economy for the Caribbean
30th October –2nd November, 2022.
- NIS Conference Room, Kingstown
- Building the Resilience of a Beekeeping Industry after a Natural Disaster