on Orchid Bees

La Gamba, Costa Rica, March 12 to 15, 2014

+++ March 19, 2014 +++

The 1st Symposium on Orchid Bees is over and was a great success! Thank you all for coming and making it possible. We are looking forward to the 2nd one!

Santiago Ramírez & Thomas Eltz



+++ December 12, 2013 +++

Dear colleagues,

A detailed program is now available on the 'Program' page. We have 35 registered participants who will present 25 short (15+5 min) and 3 long (45+15 min) talks, all across the field of euglossine biology. This will be a very exciting symposium!

See you in March,

Santiago Ramírez & Thomas Eltz


+++ September 5, 2013 +++

Dear colleagues,

We are happy to announce that so far 27 scientists from seven different countries have registered for the 1st International Symposium on Orchid Bees in La Gamba, Costa Rica!

This means that we only have space available at the station for 5 additional participants. Thus, in case you are considering attending the symposium, please register soon!

For those of you who registered already, we would like to remind you that the deadline for submitting abstracts is October 1st. Please send an email to thomas.eltz@rub.de containing a title, full author affiliations, and an abstract of max. 200 words. Since the number of talks is limited we may ask you to present a poster instead, which will be exhibited around the conference venue. A detailed program will be communicated by the end of the year.

We will soon post more information on travel arrangements on the 'Venue' page, including suggestions for accommodation in San Jose and transportation to the La Gamba station.

We look forward to seeing you in La Gamba next March!

Santiago Ramírez & Thomas Eltz


+++ May 20, 2013 +++

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the 1st International Symposium on the Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation of Orchid Bees to be held at La Gamba Biological Station near Golfito, Costa Rica, from March 12 to 15 in 2014!

The symposium will provide a unique opportunity to bring together scientists interested in diverse aspects of the biology of euglossine bees, including chemical ecology and sensory biology, pollination biology, community ecology, systematics, and conservation biology. The symposium will have an informal format to promote discussions and enhance interactions among participants. There will be a limited number of talks, field exhibitions, and organized hikes. We will host scientists from different nationalities with diverse backgrounds, as well as scientists from various generations to stimulate collaborations and promote new research avenues.

Due to the limited space available at the La Gamba Biological Station (max. of 30 people), registrations will be processed on a first-come first-served basis. Confirmed participants include Robert Dressler (opening talk), David Roubik, Norris Williams and Mark Whitten.

We very much hope to see you in La Gamba in March 2014!

Santiago Ramírez & Thomas Eltz

RUHR-UNIVERSITÄT BOCHUM