The annual Apimondia Congress has taken place since 1897, bringing bee keepers together from all over the world, to further knowledge, practice and research in the apicultural sphere.

In September 1997 Apimondia, the International Federation of Beekeepers™ Associations, organised the 35th Apimondia congress in Antwerp, Belgium, to mark the Centennial Jubilee of International Apicultural Congresses. The venue chosen for this congress, Belgium, accentuated the relevance of the event as it was in this very country that the First International Apicultural Congress was held back in 1897.

This celebration placed the Apimondia International Apicultural Congress among the very first International congresses. On this “historic” occasion, both the general theme of the congress “Ancient and recent history of the honeybee and beekeeping” and the themes of the scientific sessions were chosen accordingly, to testify to the link between the past and future meetings that continue to take place every other year, bringing researchers and beekeepers together from all over the world with the aim of solving pressing problems related to world apiculture, the bee products trade, honey adulteration, bee disease control, new technologies and beekeeping extension.