on Orchid Bees

La Gamba, Costa Rica, August 5 to 9, 2026

+++ May 13, 2026 +++

Dear colleagues,

We are happy to announce that 37 scientists have already registered for the 3rd International Symposium on Orchid Bees, to be held in La Gamba, Costa Rica, August 5–9, 2026.

A few places are still available, so please feel free to share this information with interested colleagues.

A preliminary program and schedule of scientific talks has been posted on the Program page. A detailed program, including posters, all authors and affiliations, as well as abstracts will be available at the conference.

For travel preparations please keep checking the venue section. For people travelling from San Jose to La Gamba in the morning of August 5th there is the option to meet at the Tracopa bus station to catch a joint bus at 6:30am. If this fits your travel schedule, please send a brief email to let us know. We will coordinate the purchase of tickets and post developments on the website.

We very much look forward to meeting you in La Gamba!

Jonas Henske, Jasen Liu, Santiago Ramírez & Thomas Eltz




+++ October 31, 2025 +++

Dear colleagues,

There are only a few open slots left for the 3rd International Symposium on the Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation of Orchid Bees, which will be held at La Gamba Field Station, Costa Rica, August 5-9 2026! We encourage you to register as soon as possible as space is limited!

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/3rd-international-orchid-bee-symposium-tickets-1545230830009

We are excited to announce a limited number of student/early career researcher travel awards of up to US$500 each kindly provided by the Company of Biologists. Please see here for more information.

The symposium will have an informal format to promote discussions and enhance interactions among participants. There will be talks, open discussions, field exhibitions, and organized hikes. We will host scientists from different nationalities with diverse backgrounds, bringing together a substantial part of the active euglossine bee research community, including students new to the field as well as seasoned euglossiologists. Confirmed participants include Adam Karremans, Margarita Lopez-Uribe, Paulo Milet-Pinheiro, Manfred Ayasse, Dave Roubik, Bob Pemberton, and Günter Gerlach.

We very much hope to see you in La Gamba in August 2026!

Jonas Henske, Jasen Liu, Santiago Ramírez & Thomas Eltz


+++ August 12, 2025 +++

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the 3rd International Symposium on the Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation of Orchid Bees to be held in La Gamba Biological Station near Golfito Costa Rica in August 5 to 9, 2026!

The first and second symposia in 2014 and 2018 were both great events (see old Symposium web pages) and we are now organizing the third installment in 2026. As before, the meeting will provide an outstanding opportunity to bring together scientists interested in diverse aspects of the biology of euglossine bees, including chemical ecology, sensory biology, sociobiology, pollination biology, community ecology, systematics, and conservation biology.

The symposium will again take place at the La Gamba research station and 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, hopefully bringing together a substantial part of the active euglossine research community, including students new to the field as well as seasoned euglossinologists. Due to the limited space available at the La Gamba Biological Station (max. of 40 people), registrations will be processed on a first-come first-served basis. Confirmed participants in 2026 include Margarita Lopez-Uribe, Adam Karremans, Paulo Milet-Pinheiro and Manfred Ayasse.

We very much hope to see you in La Gamba in August 2026!

Jonas Henske, Jasen Liu, Santiago Ramírez & Thomas Eltz

RUHR-UNIVERSITÄT BOCHUM