The International Conference on DNA Barcoding and Biodiversity
BopCo has attended the International Conference on DNA Barcoding and Biodiversity (ICDBB) in Sofia (Bulgaria) on 25-27/05/2022. The event is organized by the Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, as part of the BULCode project (https://www.plantbulcode.com/) supported by the National Program “European Scientific Networks”, Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria. The ICDBB 2022 was a hybrid event with in-person aspects held at the Park hotel Moskva and virtual posters and presentations.
BopCo has attended the International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species (ICAIS) in Oostende on 18-22/04/2022. The Conference was co-hosted by the Netherland’s Office for Risk Assessment & Research (NVWA/BuRO) and Belgium’s Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), with the support of Canada’s Invasive Species Centre, the ICAIS Secretariat. The ICAIS 2022 was a hybrid event with in-person aspects held at the Thermae Palace Hotel, Oostende, Belgium and virtual posters and presentations live online.
On May 24-25, the Belgian Biodiversity Platform is inviting you to the Empowering Biodiversity Research conference, EBR II, taking place at the 
BopCo will be present at the LifeWatch Biodiversity Day, which will be held 28th October 2021 in Ghent.
Between 2017 and 2020, larvae, pupae, and adults of Culiseta longiareolata were found at distinct locations in Belgium and the Netherlands. Collected mosquitoes were morphologically identified and the identification was then validated by BopCo using COI DNA barcoding. These are the first records for this species, which might be a potential vector of bird pathogens (e.g., West Nile virus), in Belgium and the Netherlands. 
On March 25 an article entitled “Population genetic structure of the Asian bush mosquito, Aedes japonicus (Diptera, Culicidae), in Belgium suggests multiple introductions” was published by Parasites & Vectors.