On behalf of the local organizing committee of the 9th Congress of International Society of Hymenopterists in 2018 (CISH2018), we are pleased to invite you to Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan. Quadrennial conference of the International Society of Hymenopterists (ISH) has been held since 1988, starting from Vancouver, Canada. The last conference was successfully organized in Cusco, Peru, in 2014. The CISH2018 will be the second conference to be held in Asia after Beijing in 2002. We hope that all of you will come to Matsuyama to present your new ideas and research findings on any hymenopterans, namely bees, wasps, hornets, sawflies and ants, and have face-to-face discussions with fellow hymenopterists from throughout the world.

   Matsuyama is a historic city with a grand castle and facing the calm inland sea Seto-naikai. It is also famous for its old hot springs called “Dogo-onsen”, fresh seafood, and various citrus fruits. Matsuyama is very close to Ishizuchi and other mountains up to ca. 2,000 m in altitude, where you can enjoy the graduation of dense vegetation from warm evergreen broad-leaved forests to cool mixed forests of deciduous broadleaves and evergreen conifers. Late July is one of the best seasons to see insects all over the mountains.

We sincerely look forward to seeing you in Matsuyama in 2018.

Kaoru Maeto, Ph.D.

President, CISH2018

Professor, Kobe University, JAPAN

Kazuhiko Konishi, Ph.D.

Secretary, CISH2018

Professor, Ehime University, JAPAN