Representatives of Sadecki Bartnik took a long journey to participate in 44th International Beekeeping Congress that was held between 15-20th September 2015 in South Korea. This special event was organised in Daejeon – the fifth biggest city in South Korea, located one hour drive from the capital city - Seoul.

Generally, we associate South Korea with cars and electronic equipment manufactures as e.g. LG or Hyundai. In fact it is a country where the latest technology coexist with well-preserved cultural heritage. The country is diverse however not explored yet, offering many attractions for tourists.

Apimondia is the most prestigious event in the field of the world's beekeeping. The International Beekeeping Congress was held for the third time on the Asian continent. Moreover it fell in the 150th anniversary of Apimondia. The theme of the Congress was "Bee - connecting the world".

Traditionally, an opening ceremony took place on the first day. It was full of remarkable speeches, catchy sounds, colourful costumes and performances to be remembered for a long time. During the Congress there were 7 thematic symposiums, posters sessions, amateur and industrial beekeeping exhibitions and also bee products expositions.
The most numerous representations were from South Korea and China.

We would like to congratulate the beekeeping company Lyson which got two medals for an electronic controlBee system and for honey extractor with control and weighting module. There were only three companies from Poland present on this year's Apimondia including Sadecki Bartnik. Our stand was very popular among visitors. Not only could they view our albums and catalogues but also they could try our honey varieties. Our regional honeydew honey turned out to be a real rarity.

There were a few trips organised for the Apimondia participants. We visited an apiary in Gwangju in the southern part of the country. We could see how it is different from our home apiary. We had also the opportunity to try local specialities. The food was delicious, diverse, exotic and spicy.

The second destination of our trip was Yasaeng factory. The owner together with his family showed us around the whole plant including the warehouse and rooms where raw material processing takes place. We will warmly look back on this tour.

Vice-president of Professional Beekeepers Association Mr Piotr Mrówka organised a tour to South Korea and neighbouring countries. More than 30 participants not only explored numerous Asian attractions but also watched bees in the local beekeeping farms.

We will meet again in two years time in Istanbul in Turkey. Apimondia 2019 will be organised in Canada.