Tuesday, March 31st 2026
Turkey, the second largest producer of honey in the world, is preparing to host the 15th International Meeting of Young Beekeepers (IMYB), also known as the “Olympics of Beekeeping”, in 2027.
The Turkish Beekeepers Association (TAB) announced today that the event will be held for the first time in Turkey, in Duzce province, in the region of Western Black Sea.
In September 2024, Turkey officially joined the European Beekeeping Association (EBA) as a full member, represented by the Turkish Beekeepers Association (TAB).
This membership reflects Turkey’s growing role and its commitment to cooperation within the European and global beekeeping communities.
The European Beekeeping Association (EBA) was was officially founded on February 10, 2024 in Belgrade and is headquartered at the Beekeeping Center of Slovenia in Lukovica.
Slovenia serves as the host country of the association as a global pioneer in beekeeping culture and the initiator of the United Nations “World Bee Day”.
Marked every year on May 20 since 2017, this day commemorates the birth of the pioneer with Slovenian origin Anton Jansa, who served as the world’s first official teacher of beekeeping in the 18th century.
After its establishment, Turkey officially joined the EBA on September 23, 2024, represented by the Turkish Beekeepers Association (TAB).
The event will take place for the first time in the Turkish province of Duzce, which has a flora rich forest that covers 60 percent of the territory.
The unique ecotype of bees in Duzce, as well as the Beekeeping Research Center (DAGEM) at the University of Duzce, influenced its selection.
According to statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Turkey ranks second in the world for honey production and third for the number of hives, with about 9.3 million colonies, ranking first in Europe.
Turkey’s geography, located at the intersection of three different biogeographic regions, supports about 12,000 plant species, a third of which are endemic.
This biodiversity ensures continuous flowering throughout the year, making the region an ideal environment for beekeeping. Turkey alone provides up to 92 percent of global pine honey production.
The country continues to show its production power as it hosted Apimondia, the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations congresses in Istanbul in 2017 and 2022.
First established in 1895 in Belgium and holding its first congress in Brussels in 1897, Apimondia currently unites 114 member associations from 77 countries.
Turkey has been an active member of this global federation since 2003, through the Turkish Beekeepers Association (TAB).
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Source: prizrenpost
