2018 – Nérac (France)

9^th International Meeting of Young Beekeepers

Nérac, agricultural school, France
July 2nd to July 6th 2018

With special programme for adults and a extra day to visit “la Dune du Pilat” and Bordeaux.
The young beekeepers have one and half days with competition.

Participating countries:

Albania, Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Poland, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

Competition:

Workshop 1 : Making up a nucleus: ​This assessment tested the knowledge and understanding of the participants but also their ability to work together in a team.
Workshop 2 : Assembling frames in sequence: ​A team work challenge. 12 frames with real photographs of brood frames to be put into the right sequence in a dadant
hive.
Workshop 3 : Honey identification:​ This is quite a challenge as many of the honeys are quite localised. Again, we did this entirely without words – matching photographs of plants to the flavour of the honey.
Workshop 4 :​ Honey extraction : each competitor have to prepare a frame for the extractor
Workshop 5 : Identifying equipment use: ​A real challenge for some of the items and team working was really important in this one.
Workshop 6 : Grafting larvae: ​An assessment of individual skill and knowledge.
Workshop 7 : Frame making: ​Make a frame, the same as the model.
Workshop 8 : Anatomy and bee enemies : ​Designed as an team assessment. The young beekeepers have to recognize the different parts of the bee. They also to identify some insects and some mites and tell if they are bee enemies or not.
Workshop 9 : Marking drones: ​Is aimed at assessing the dexterity of the individual participants in handling individual bees but also provided an opportunity to build on the team spirit.
Workshop 10 : Bee products : ​What’s the bee product — by smell and sight?
Workshop 11 : Reassemble a hive completely remove
Workshop 12 : Botany : ​this is always difficult as there is a wide range of knowledge and understanding.
Workshop 13​ : Multiple choice:​ All of the multiple choice questions were taken from the data bank of around 400 questions which various competing countries have
submitted in the last couple of years. This was an assessment of individual knowledge.

Results : French organizing team decided to add a classification. Thus you can find the results for International teams classification, Individual classification and Country classification.

Winners:

The individual results:
1st Place – David Ferderer – Germany
2nd Place – Sweatman Harriet – Scotland
3rd Place – Kricej Luka – Slovenia

​The country results:
1st Place – Slovakia
2nd Place – Czech Republic
3rd Place – Germany

The 9th International Meeting of Young Beekeepers took place in the Agricultural High School of Nérac – France. This school is part of the agricultural education center of Lot et Garonne in South West of France were students learn agricultural production, food industry, equine activities and beekeeping with 20 beehives. We organized the competition with our major partner L’Abeille Gasconne, the famous local beekeeping association. Thirty countries were signed up to take part but, problems obtaining visas and raising fonds maint, unfortunately three of them had to cancel their participation. Nevertheless, with 27 countries and around 140 participants, we are able to say that IMYB community in growing with the first participation of Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Malta and Northern Ireland.

For the first time in France, the organizing team decided to add an extra day for cultural and touristic visits. Thus, on Monday afternoon, participants coming from Agen, Bordeaux and Toulouse were gathered in Nérac for the opening ceremony. It was time for Countries parade and official speeches. All participants, sponsors and organizers were later invited to enjoy and to discover the French gastronomy during the dinner.

On Tuesday, young beekeepers took part in 11 practical workshops guided by Young facilitators coming from Austria, Czech Republic, England, France and Germany: big thanks to all of them. Accompanying adults visited one of our partners : Wine cave of Buzet ,where they attended a conference about Asian hornet by Jean Haxaire (Correspondent of the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris). During the afternoon, they took part to a discovery tour of Nérac followed by a conference about food and pollination by Bernard (Research Leader of INRA : Pollination and Bees’ Ecology).

All participants left the area Lot et Garonne to a cultural and touristic day in Bordeaux. We spent time visiting the Dune du Pyla, the most important sand dune of Europe and a famous tourist destination measuring 100 meters high above Atlantic Ocean sea level. After having the lunch, participants spent a little time in a shopping mall buying some souvenirs from France. The Region Nouvelle Aquitaine Council as our main partner offered a banquet and were Alain Rousset President
of Region Nouvelle Aquitaine and Jean Louis Nembrini, Vice president charged of Education welcomed all IMYB participants.

The next day in France before departure was time to finish the competition for young Beekeepers with 2 theoretical workshops while accompanying adults took part in presentation and exchanges about French beekeeping (ITSAP and Les Apiculteurs Associés) and about beekeeping teaching. Finally, young beekeepers enjoyed sport activities before a rest time to last preparation for the closing ceremony in Agen where participants were Welcomed by Pierre Camani, President of the Departement Lot et Garonne Council. It was the awarded time before a friendly time around an aperitif cocktail with a typical French musical band : “Banda”.

It’s closed and we hope you have enjoyed the week. The organization team from the school and from the Abeille Gasconne Association is very happy to spend this time with you.

Big thanks to our partners, without them it will be impossible to have so nice week for young beekeepers. Thanks to :

• Conseil Régional de Nouvelle Aquitaine
• Conseil Départemental de Lot et Garonne
• Les apiculteurs Associés

By Pierre Golfier, Cyrille Gotte and Patrick Golfier, the coordinator of IMYB 2018

From Nerac Agricultural School and Abeille Gasconne (beekeepers Association)