From 10th to 13th March, 2025
Botanical Garden of Barcelona – MCNB (Barcelona, Spain)
WHY A BEE COURSE?
INC-STEP (https://tettris.eu/3rd-party-projects/inc-step) is a 3PP project funded by TETTRIs that aims to create a national reference collection for 6 taxa of Spain’s threatened pollinators:
Papilionidae and Hesperiidae (two families of butterflies, Lepidoptera), Eristalinae (a subfamily of hoverflies or Syrphidae, Diptera), Bombus, Xylocopa and Colletes (three genera of bees of the families Apidae and Colletidae, Hymenoptera).
In addition to establishing a national reference collection, the principal objective of this project is to equip new taxonomists with the requisite tools and knowledge to train them effectively, and to provide those responsible for scientific collections with a deeper understanding of the subject matter, thus ensuring the continuity of taxonomy in Europe. It is on this basis that the course on bee taxonomy and ecology was devised.
The course is organised by the Department of Arthropods of the Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona (MCNB), one of the five institutions that make up the INC-STEP consortium, and will take place from 10th to 13th March 2025 (both included) at the Botanical Garden of Barcelona (Jardí Botànic de Barcelona, JBB).
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the course, trainees are expected to have acquired the following knowledge, skills and competencies:
The basic parts that make up a bee, as well as their structural diversity.
What to look for when observing bees (key identification traits).
Advanced knowledge of bee identification at family level.
Interpretation of general and specific differences between genera/species.
Basic knowledge of high-quality preparation to facilitate examination of specimens.
How to conserve specimens for use by future researchers.
How to correctly label specimens.
Basic knowledge of laboratory and field macrophotography for both morphology and insect-plant interaction studies.
TARGET AUDIENCE
The course is open to all those interested in bee taxonomy and ecology, especially young researchers and students (undergraduates, postgraduates, MSc, PhD), collection technicians, curators, and managers of entomological collections.
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
In order to follow the course, trainees need a CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) B1 or B2 level of Spanish, as the official language of the course is Spanish.
REGISTRATION
Both the registration and the course are free of charge.
As the course is specifically designed to encourage young entomologists and researchers to get into taxonomy and provide a deeper understanding to those already into it, relevant experience and interests should be included in a two-page CV and motivation letter to facilitate the selection process (both files are mandatory).
Call Opening: January 10th, 2025
Application Deadline: January 31st, 2025
Registration Platform: https://forms.gle/6iZRQEvV7izgEAQg9 [IMPORTANT: after filling the form, both CV and motivation letter must be sent to artropodes.mcnb@gmail.com]
SELECTION OF TRAINEES
The selection of trainees will take place between 3rd and 14th February, 2025. Only selected trainees will be able to attend the course.
Since one of the main objectives of the project is to equip new taxonomists with the necessary tools and knowledge to train them effectively, we will prioritize people who are already somewhat familiar with taxonomy or at least in the process of becoming taxonomists, especially young researchers in the first years of their scientific career. Of course, other profiles (senior taxonomists, curators, technicians...) are welcome to apply.
GRANT
The selected trainees will receive a grant of EUR 610 to cover maintenance expenses during the course. IMPORTANT: The grant will be paid as a lump sum after the course has been completed.
PARTICIPANT QUOTA (minimum and maximum number of trainees)
Min 1 – Max 15 trainees
CONTACTS
Do you have any questions? Please do not hesitate to contact the coordinators of the course:
Berta Caballero (MCNB): bcaballerolo@bcn.cat / +34 932562211
Irene Lobato (MCNB): ilobato@bcn.cat / +34 932562213
COURSE PROGRAMME SUMMARY
The course will be held on a full-time basis (approximately from 9:00 to 17:30) over four days (10–13 March, 2025). The following content will be provided (NOTE: the order and some specific details may change before and during the course depending on the needs of the instructors and
students):
Day 1
Introduction to native insect pollinators
Introduction to the bee families of the Iberian Peninsula
The Apidae family I
The Apidae family II
Day 2
The Melittidae family
The Halictidae family
Field practice (botanical garden)
Practical session in the lab
Day 3
The Andrenidae family
The Colletidae family
Field practice (botanical garden)
Practical session in the lab
Day 4
The Megachilidae family
Practical session in the lab (all bee families involved)
h MCNB’ Arthropods Collection