Gitnux/Report 2026

Beekeeping Industry Statistics

273Statistics
98Sources
12Sections
1Visuals
45mRead
Beekeeping Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Gitnux editors write the brief first: the topic, the inclusion rules, and the frame for what belongs.

02Source Research

Agents search the published record and log every extracted figure back to the passage it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The beekeeping industry at a glance

The global apiculture market was valued at $9.31 billion in 2024, while honey production reached about 1.99 million tonnes and China remained the largest producer with 22.4% of global output.

$9.31B[77]
Global apiculture market, 2024
4.0%[77]
Apiculture CAGR, 2025–2030
1.99M tonnes[47]
Global honey production, 2024
22.4%[47]
China share of production, 2024
Market size
The global apiculture market was estimated at $9.31 billion in 2024. The market includes honey, beeswax and propolis products used in food and beverages, medicine, cosmetics and other applications.[77]
Forecast & CAGR
Grand View Research projects the global apiculture market to reach $11.78 billion by 2030, implying a 4.0% compound annual growth rate from 2025 to 2030. A separate 2026 honey-market estimate places the honey segment at $9.92 billion in 2025 and forecasts 7.2% CAGR through 2034.[77][78]
Market share & regions
Asia-Pacific held 35.6% of global apiculture-market revenue in 2024. In production, China accounted for 444,800 tonnes, or 22.4% of world honey output, in 2024; India ranked second with 146,000 tonnes.[77][47]
Segmentation
By product, the apiculture industry spans honey, beeswax, propolis, royal jelly, bee pollen and live bees. By end use, food and beverages represented the largest apiculture-market category, with 43.5% of revenue in 2024; other applications include medical products and cosmetics.[77][79]
Key players & concentration
The market is fragmented across beekeepers, cooperatives, packers and branded honey companies rather than being controlled by a small number of global firms. Named participants in market research include Capilano Honey, Dabur, Comvita, Barkman Honey, Bee Maid Honey, Dutch Gold Honey and GloryBee; China supplied 22.4% of global honey production in 2024, showing concentration at the country level.[77][80][47]
Pricing
In the United States, the average honey price rose to $3.05 per pound in 2025 from $2.41 in 2024, a 27% increase. Average prices paid for queens, package bees and nucleus colonies were $22, $110 and $130, respectively, in 2025.[81]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Growth is supported by demand for natural sweeteners and wider use of bee products in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Supply remains vulnerable to colony losses, weather and disease: U.S. honey production fell 14% to 116 million pounds in 2025, while producing colonies declined 7% to 2.41 million.[77][81]
Consumer behavior & competition
Food and beverages accounted for 43.5% of apiculture-market revenue in 2024, indicating that edible honey remains the main commercial demand center. Competition spans conventional, raw, organic and specialty honeys, with organic identified as a faster-growing processing segment in the U.S. market.[77]
Regulation
The revised EU Honey Directive came into force on June 13, 2024. EU rules address honey composition, labeling and origin information, making traceability and origin disclosure increasingly important for producers and importers.[82]
Latest news
The latest USDA annual report, released March 13, 2026, reported U.S. honey production of 116 million pounds in 2025, down 14% year over year, while the average honey price increased 27% to $3.05 per pound. Eurostat reported a record 9.4 million beehives on EU farms in 2023, up 16% from 2020.[81][12]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Beekeeping Industry

The leading companies in the beekeeping industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

Mann Lake leads Gitnux's 2026 beekeeping ranking with an Overall score of 9.4, with revenue growth 52%, focused on hives, live bees, medications, and honey-processing equipment. LYSON is the runner-up at 9.0, with equipment sold across all inhabited continents, including hives, extractors, and uncapping machines.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in honey processing equipment

    Mann Lake

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.4 · Honey processing equipment

    Why we picked it: It serves beekeepers with a full equipment and supply portfolio spanning hives, live bees, medicines, and processing hardware.

    See in ranking ↓Visit mannlakeltd.com ↗

  2. Leader in honeybee health products

    NOD Apiary Products

    CA

    Ranked #3 · 8.8 · Honeybee health products

    Why we picked it: It concentrates on honeybee health and mite-control products for operational colony management.

    See in ranking ↓Visit nodglobal.com ↗

  3. Leader in beekeeping equipment

    Dadant & Sons

    US

    Ranked #4 · 8.6 · Beekeeping equipment

    Why we picked it: It provides long-running beekeeping equipment and supplies used in ongoing hive operations.

    See in ranking ↓Visit dadant.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the beekeeping industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Mann Lake

Honey processing equipment · US

9.4
2

LYSON

Honey processing equipment · PL

9.0
3

NOD Apiary Products

Honeybee health products · CA

8.8
4

Dadant & Sons

Beekeeping equipment · US

8.6
5

Dalan Animal Health

Honeybee health products · US

8.4
6

GloryBee

Bulk honey and beekeeper-linked honey supply · US

8.4
7

Paradise Honey

Professional honey-processing equipment and EPS hives · FI

8.2
8

Thomas Apiculture

French beekeeping equipment and beeswax products · FR

8.1
9

E.H. Thorne

British hives, wax foundation and apiary equipment · GB

8.0
10

Véto-pharma

Honeybee medicines and health products · FR

8.0

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Top 10 companies in the beekeeping industry. In Beekeeping Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/beekeeping-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Honey production by state (United States)

North Dakota leads with 36.3M pounds.

North Dakota36.3M pounds
California13.3M pounds
South Dakota13.3M pounds
Montana10.1M pounds
Minnesota6.9M pounds
Michigan5.0M pounds
source-verifiednass.usda.gov

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Smart-hive work pairs acoustic, imaging, and machine-learning methods with adoption data from European beekeeper surveys and parameter-level monitoring in 2024.

AI in the beekeeping industry

  • 19,597 acoustic samples were used in a beekeeping AI comparison in which a 31-coefficient MFCC descriptor with random forest achieved about 0.99 across five metrics.[1]
  • 95.9% accuracy was achieved by one parametric acoustic method for honeybee classification in smart-hive research.[2]
  • 20 smart-beehive studies used computer vision or imaging methods during 2023–2025, reflecting increased use of visual bee monitoring.[3]
  • 99.68% accuracy was achieved by a K-nearest-neighbors model classifying drone and worker bees from acoustic signals.[2]
  • 95.3% of smart-beehive studies used analytical methods during 2023–2025, based on a systematic review of research worldwide.[3]
  • 29 smart-beehive studies used deep learning or neural networks during 2023–2025, according to a systematic review of global research.[3]

Automation in the beekeeping industry

  • 80 million dollars was raised by beekeeping-robotics company Beewise in a 2022 financing round.[4]
  • 28.6% of 949 Polish beekeepers surveyed had adopted digital technologies for apiary management.[5]
  • 844 beekeepers from 18 European countries participated in research on digital hive-monitoring adoption.[6]
  • 79.1% of surveyed European beekeepers had not adopted digital hive monitoring technology.[7]
  • 20.9% of 844 European beekeepers used some digital hive monitoring in the survey, with use generally limited to one parameter such as hive weight.[7]
  • 21% of European beekeepers were using some form of digital monitoring in the B-GOOD survey.[8]

Digital Transformation in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 51.2% had very low digital intensity in 2023, down from 55.1% in 2021.[9]
  • In the United States, 61% of farmers reported adopting digital agronomy technologies in 2024.[10]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 3.4% had very high digital intensity in 2023, compared with 2.1% in 2021.[9]
  • Across the EU agri-food industrial ecosystem, 20% of companies had a concrete digital-transformation strategy in 2024.[9]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 15.4% had high digital intensity in 2023, compared with 13.0% in 2021.[9]

Technology Adoption in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU farms with utilised agricultural area, about 18% used some form of precision-farming technology or practice in 2023.[11]
  • In Canada, 84% of field-crop operations used GPS equipment in 2021.[11]
  • In Germany, 85.5% of surveyed farms used at least one digital technology in 2024–2025.[11]
  • In Czechia, 30% of crop-production farmers used at least one precision-agriculture technology in 2023.[11]
  • Across EU farms, 43% had internet access, 11% used farm-management information systems, and 7% used robotics in 2023.[11]
  • In Chile, 12% of agricultural production units reported using a technological tool such as mobile applications, drones, or sensors in 2021.[11]

Cloud Computing in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU businesses, 45% purchased cloud-computing services in 2023.[12]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 26% used cloud computing in 2023.[9]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 37% used cloud computing in 2024, up from 26% in 2023.[9]
  • Among EU large businesses, 78% purchased cloud-computing services in 2023, compared with 44% of SMEs.[12]

Big Data in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 17% used big-data technologies in 2023.[9]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 13% used big-data technologies in 2024, compared with 17% in 2023.[9]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 307 startups focused on artificial intelligence and big data were formed between 2015 and 2023.[9]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Digital monitoring is concentrated in a few hive parameters: 81.8% track hive weight in 2024, and only 6.3% of hives are digitally monitored on average.

Business intelligence in the beekeeping industry

  • 81.8% of European beekeepers using digital monitoring tracked hive weight in 2024.[13]
  • 47.7% of European beekeepers using digital monitoring tracked hive temperature in 2024.[13]
  • 6.3% of hives were digitally monitored on average by European beekeepers who had adopted at least one digital monitoring parameter in 2024.[13]
  • 5.7% of European beekeepers using digital monitoring tracked the number of bees in 2024.[13]
  • 29.5% of European beekeepers using digital monitoring tracked hive sound in 2024.[13]
  • 34.7% of European beekeepers using digital monitoring tracked hive humidity in 2024.[13]

Data analytics in the beekeeping industry

  • 25 studies used supervised machine-learning techniques in smart-beehive research, representing approximately 18% of the reviewed corpus worldwide.[3]
  • 10,000 one-second bee recordings and 1,700 one-second drone recordings were included in a honey-bee audio dataset reviewed in 2025.[3]
  • 5 Carniola honey-bee colonies in Zacatecas, Mexico, contributed recordings to a queenless-honeybee acoustic dataset.[3]
  • 10,000 audio files were included in one publicly available beehive-audio dataset reviewed in 2025.[3]
  • 7,200 frames were included in a labeled dataset for bee detection and direction estimation on hive landing boards.[3]
  • 13,509 honey-bee images were included in the VarroaDataset, with approximately 3,947 labeled infected and 9,562 labeled healthy.[3]

Data Quality in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 44% of manufacturers reported that AI projects had failed because of poor data quality in 2025, according to a survey of manufacturing organizations.[14]
  • 49% of manufacturing respondents rated their operational data as having low AI readiness in 2024, meaning it was insufficiently labeled, contextualized, governed or accessible.[15]
  • 42% of manufacturers reported having a process to verify operational data accuracy or quality in 2025, indicating that most lacked a formal validation process.[15]
  • 41% of manufacturers said they distrusted the data used for supply-chain operations in 2025, reflecting persistent data-quality concerns in production and procurement.[14]
  • 30% of manufacturing respondents identified poor-quality data as one of their top three challenges when working with AI-related data in 2024.[15]

Data Governance in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 15% of manufacturers said their data strategy was entirely aligned with their overall business strategy in 2024, while 31% said it was very closely aligned.[15]
  • 6% of food and beverage leaders reported fully integrated digital systems in 2025, despite 82% saying technology adoption was a strategic priority.[16]
  • 69% of food and beverage companies still relied on spreadsheets and email for core operations in 2025, limiting standardized access and control of business data.[16]
  • 61% of manufacturers reported having a corporate-wide governance plan, strategy or formal guidelines for how data is collected, organized, accessed and used in 2024.[15]
  • 61% of supply-management organizations reported having a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, while 90% agreed that data governance was necessary.[17]
  • 40% of food and beverage professionals worldwide identified disconnected systems and data as their biggest barrier to moving faster in 2026.[16]

KPIs in the beekeeping industry

  • 55.6% of managed U.S. honey-bee colonies were lost between April 1, 2024 and April 1, 2025.[18]
  • 2.60 million managed honey-producing colonies were estimated in the United States in 2024.[18]
  • 8.4% of estimated U.S. managed honey-producing colonies were represented by respondents to the 2024–2025 survey.[18]
  • 2,453 U.S. beekeepers provided valid responses to the 2024–2025 managed-colony survey.[18]
  • 40.2% of managed U.S. honey-bee colonies were lost during winter 2024–2025.[18]
  • 42% of surveyed U.S. beekeepers reported winter 2024–2025 losses above their acceptable-loss threshold.[18]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

U.S. economics show a production drop alongside higher pricing: honey rose to $3.05 per pound in 2025, while pollination income was US$226 million in 2024.

Growth in the beekeeping industry

  • U.S. honey production totaled 134 million pounds in 2024, down 4% from 2023.[19]
  • U.S. honey-producing colonies totaled 2.60 million in 2024, up 3% from 2023.[19]
  • The average U.S. price paid for a honey-bee queen was US$18 in 2024.[19]
  • The average U.S. price paid for a package of honey bees was US$89 in 2024.[19]
  • U.S. pollination income from honey bees was US$226 million in 2024, down 11% from 2023.[19]
  • U.S. other income from honey bees was US$51.3 million in 2024, down 11% from 2023.[19]

Differentiation in the beekeeping industry

  • Germany’s average declared honey export value was US$6,268 per tonne in 2023.[20]
  • China’s average declared honey export value was US$1,562 per tonne in 2024.[20]
  • Spain’s average declared honey export value was US$4,000 per tonne in 2024.[20]
  • New Zealand accounted for 11% of world honey export value but only 1.3% of export weight in 2024.[21]
  • US$23.13 per kilogram was New Zealand’s average honey export value in 2024, compared with US$1.42 per kilogram for China.[21]
  • Argentina’s average declared honey export value was US$2,179 per tonne in 2024.[20]

Mergers and acquisitions in the beekeeping industry

  • Sweet Harvest Foods oversaw more than 6 billion honey bees after its acquisitions by 2025.[22]
  • Sweet Harvest Foods completed five acquisitions over three years, according to its legal adviser, by 2025.[22]
  • New Water Capital acquired Dutch Gold Honey and related businesses in March 2025.[23]
  • Sweet Harvest Foods’ acquired operations included more than 100 beekeepers across 10 apiary sites in the United States by 2025.[22]
  • Sweet Harvest Foods oversaw more than 120,000 honey-bee colonies after its acquisitions by 2025.[22]

Strategic partnerships in the beekeeping industry

  • Nature Nate’s reached its ninth year of partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation in 2024.[24]
  • The Sioux Honey Co-op and Smoothie King partnered in 2026 on a honey donation distributed through Second Helpings Atlanta’s partner network.[25]
  • The same project targeted eight participating queen breeders by 2026.[26]
  • 2ND & PCH announced a partnership with Best Bees in August 2024 to install and maintain honey-bee hives at a shopping center.[27]
  • The U.S. breeding project expected the number of participating queen breeders to rise from five in 2024 to six in 2025.[26]
  • A 2024 U.S. breeding project partnered with Lloyd St. Bees of Wisconsin and Stevens Bee Co. of Missouri to exchange and test mite-resistant bee stocks.[26]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce participation stays uneven across regions; in Florida, 83.8% of respondents reported no employed workers in the 2020 peak season.

Hiring in the beekeeping industry

  • 16.2% of Florida beekeeper respondents reported employing at least one worker during the 2020 peak season.[28]
  • 1,544 workers were estimated to be employed in Florida beekeeping during the 2020 non-peak season.[28]
  • 351 workers were reported by surveyed Florida beekeepers during the 2020 non-peak season.[28]
  • 83.8% of Florida beekeeper respondents reported no employed workers during the 2020 peak season.[28]
  • 545 workers were reported by surveyed Florida beekeepers during the 2020 peak season.[28]

Remote Work in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. agriculture and food employers, 35% offered some type of remote-work arrangement in 2024, according to AgCareers’ industry hiring report.[29]
  • Across U.S. crop and animal production, 14.4% of workers worked remotely in 2021, compared with 14.7% in 2019 and 15.4% in 2020.[30]
  • Across U.S. accommodation and food services, 4.8% of workers worked remotely in 2021, up from 1.9% in 2019 and 5.3% in 2020.[30]
  • Across U.S. agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, about 12% of workers worked remotely during October 2023–September 2024, including hybrid and fully remote work.[31]

Hybrid Work in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 21% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals reported working fully remotely in 2024.[32]
  • 44% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals preferred part-time remote work in 2024.[32]
  • 35% of U.S. agriculture and food employers offered some type of remote-work arrangement in 2024.[29]
  • Among science-of-food professionals surveyed globally in 2024, respondents averaged 2.1 work-at-home days per week.[33]
  • 33% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals reported working in hybrid arrangements in 2024.[32]

Upskilling in the beekeeping industry

  • 69.0% of surveyed UK beekeepers received support from a beekeeping association.[34]
  • 46.6% of surveyed UK beekeepers received classroom-based training between April 2022 and April 2023.[34]
  • 54.8% of surveyed UK beekeepers reported providing support to less-experienced beekeepers.[34]
  • 51.1% of surveyed UK beekeepers received informal mentoring from an experienced beekeeper.[34]
  • 23.4% of surveyed UK beekeepers received support through an online beekeeping group.[34]

Employee Engagement in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • In the agriculture industry, employees averaged 7.68 out of 10 for engagement and an eNPS of +5 in CultureMonkey’s 2026 benchmark.[35]
  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 59.3% on leadership in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[36]
  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 60.9% on enablement in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[36]
  • Manufacture, distribution and storage organizations recorded an average employee-engagement score of 72.9% in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[36]
  • At Europe Snacks, a multinational food manufacturer, employee engagement reached 79% across its international workforce and 88% in its UK business after a structured listening program.[36]

DEI in the beekeeping industry

  • 64% of family members involved in beekeeping in the Georgian baseline assessment were men, with women accounting for the remainder.[37]
  • 1.7% of Australian beekeepers were aged 15–19 in the 2021 Census occupation profile.[38]
  • 17.2% of Australian beekeepers were aged 65 or over in the 2021 Census occupation profile.[38]
  • 68% of interviewed Georgian beekeepers reported that family members were also involved in their beekeeping activities.[37]
  • 38.8% of surveyed beekeepers in one 2021 study reported a family tradition in beekeeping.[39]

Change Management in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among food and beverage processors surveyed in 2020, 40% reported changing a process as a structural change.[40]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Purchase criteria emphasize price, origin, and flavor in national surveys, with grocery stores a major channel for U.S. buyers at 66% in 2024.

Customer experience in the beekeeping industry

  • 71% of Australian honey panellists considered price important when selecting honey in 2021.[2]
  • 54% of Australian honey panellists considered product origin important when selecting honey in 2021.[2]
  • 67% of Australian honey panellists considered flavour important when selecting honey in 2021.[2]
  • 40% of Italian honey consumers bought honey directly from producers in 2024.[3]
  • 75% of Australian honey panellists purchased honey from commercial stores in 2021.[2]

Customer retention in the beekeeping industry

  • 26% of U.S. honey consumers purchased honey once a month in the cited survey.[41]
  • 53% of U.S. honey consumers purchased honey a few times a year in the cited survey.[41]
  • 34.48% of surveyed Chinese consumers purchased honey once a year in 2023.[3]
  • 13% of U.S. honey consumers reported never purchasing honey in the cited survey.[41]
  • 27.50% of surveyed Chinese consumers purchased honey less than once a year in 2023.[3]

Customer acquisition in the beekeeping industry

  • 66% of surveyed U.S. honey purchasers typically bought honey at grocery stores in the cited survey.[41]
  • 40% of Italian honey consumers purchased honey directly from producers in 2024.[3]
  • 44.90% of surveyed Chinese consumers purchased honey directly from beekeepers in 2023.[3]
  • 24% of surveyed U.S. honey purchasers typically bought honey at farmers’ markets in the cited survey.[41]
  • 9% of surveyed U.S. honey purchasers typically bought honey directly from a beekeeper in the cited survey.[41]

Customer loyalty in the beekeeping industry

  • 30% of U.S. honey shoppers selected a brand they knew and trusted as a purchase criterion in 2022.[42]
  • 76.15% of surveyed Chinese consumers were worried about fake honey on the market in 2023.[3]
  • 94.79% of surveyed Chinese consumers preferred domestic honey in 2023.[3]
  • 52% of U.S. consumers believed honey consumption was good for bees in the National Honey Board’s 2024 survey.[43]
  • 87.40% of surveyed Chinese consumers expressed confidence in the quality of domestic honey in 2023.[3]

Lead generation in the beekeeping industry

  • 81% of Bee Culture’s surveyed beekeeping audience found its advertisements useful in 2022.[44]
  • 80,000 was Bee Culture’s monthly average website-visit count in 2022.[44]
  • 8,000+ people were subscribed to Bee Culture’s Catch The Buzz email list in 2022.[44]
  • 26,000+ people were included in Bee Culture’s total email list in 2022.[44]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Consumer willingness to pay appears tied to honey attributes; 37% of U.S. honey shoppers were willing to pay more for products containing honey in 2023.

Marketing in the beekeeping industry

  • 37% of U.S. honey shoppers were willing to pay more for products containing honey in 2023.[42]
  • 24% of U.S. honey shoppers cited honey type or form as a purchase criterion in 2022.[42]
  • 11% of U.S. honey shoppers said they would buy a product containing honey regardless of price in 2023.[42]
  • 15% of U.S. honey shoppers cited an organic label as a purchase criterion in 2022.[42]
  • 22% of U.S. honey shoppers cited a pure, unfiltered or raw label as a purchase criterion in 2022.[42]

Digital marketing in the beekeeping industry

  • 51% of Michigan beekeepers preferred webinar video recordings posted online in 2021.[45]
  • 14% of Michigan beekeepers preferred podcasts for receiving beekeeping information in 2021.[45]
  • 48% of Michigan beekeepers preferred self-paced online courses in 2021.[45]
  • 32% of Michigan beekeepers obtained beekeeping information from social media in 2021.[45]
  • 63% of Michigan beekeepers obtained beekeeping information from online videos in 2021.[45]

Branding in the beekeeping industry

  • 93.2% of Italian honey consumers preferred Italian-produced honey in 2024.[3]
  • 21% of Australian honey panellists in a cited comparison valued familiarity with honey products in their purchasing decisions.[2]
  • 79% of Australian honey panellists did not consider brand, packaging and familiarity important when purchasing honey in 2021.[2]
  • 94.79% of surveyed Chinese consumers preferred domestic honey, making national origin a major product-positioning attribute in 2023.[3]

Social media in the beekeeping industry

  • 4% of Michigan beekeepers preferred Instagram for receiving beekeeping information in 2021.[45]
  • 1% of Michigan beekeepers preferred TikTok for receiving beekeeping information in 2021.[45]
  • 40,000+ social-media followers were reported by Bee Culture in its 2025 advertising rate card.[44]
  • 1% of Michigan beekeepers preferred Twitter for receiving beekeeping information in 2021.[45]
  • 15% of Michigan beekeepers preferred Facebook for receiving beekeeping information in 2021.[45]

Influencer Marketing in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Food and drink influencer content generated 42.7 billion engagements globally in 2023.[46]
  • Food and drink influencer content produced an estimated $122 billion in earned media value globally in 2023.[46]
  • Food and drink influencer content generated 392 billion impressions globally in 2023.[46]
  • Food and drink influencer posts achieved a 1.19% average engagement rate globally in 2023.[46]
  • 11.5 million influencer posts covered food and drink globally in 2023, according to Sprout Social’s benchmark dataset.[46]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operational outputs remain geographically concentrated, with 80% of Canada’s honey production coming from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta in 2025.

Process optimization in the beekeeping industry

  • 80% of Canada’s honey production came from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta in 2025.[47]
  • 84.1 million pounds of honey were produced in Canada in 2025, up 3.81% from 2024.[47]
  • Migratory Italian beekeeping farms demonstrated greater economic efficiency than stationary farms in 2024.[3]
  • 854,653 honey bee colonies were managed in Canada in 2025, a 1.3% increase from 2024.[47]
  • 66.97 million pounds of honey were produced by Canada’s three prairie provinces in 2025.[47]

Operational efficiency in the beekeeping industry

  • 65% of Canadian beekeepers operated in Ontario and British Columbia in 2025.[47]
  • Ontario and British Columbia beekeepers managed 24% of Canada’s colonies in 2025.[47]
  • The average price per pollination colony was $146.20 in USDA regions 6 and 7 in 2017.[48]
  • The next-highest average pollination fee was $74.30 per colony in USDA region 1 in 2017.[48]
  • 63% of Canadian honey bee colonies were located in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta in 2025.[47]

Quality management in the beekeeping industry

  • 2.4% of positive honey samples in Intertek’s 2024–2025 report did not comply with EU pesticide maximum-residue levels.[49]
  • Intertek’s 2025 honey report covered approximately 60,000 honey samples tested annually.[50]
  • Non-compliant samples represented 0.9% of all honey samples analyzed by Intertek in its 2024–2025 report.[49]
  • Intertek identified traceability and transparency across the honey supply chain as a major quality topic in its 2025 annual report.[50]

Supply chain in the beekeeping industry

  • Japan received 41% of Canada’s honey exports by volume in 2025, equal to 3,914 metric tonnes.[47]
  • Canada imported C$73.414 million of honey in 2025.[47]
  • Canada’s honey trade balance was negative C$19.641 million in 2025.[47]
  • Prairie provinces accounted for 81% of Canada’s honey-export shipments by value in 2025.[47]
  • The United States received 56.1% of Canada’s honey exports by volume in 2025, equal to 5,354 metric tonnes.[47]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 85% of Canadian food and beverage companies processed or manufactured products internally in 2020, while 13% both produced internally and outsourced production.[51]
  • 19% of surveyed Queensland food-processing businesses contracted work out in 2010, while 28% contracted work in and 15% did both.[52]
  • 2% of Canadian food and beverage companies outsourced production entirely to third-party manufacturers in 2020.[51]
  • 49% of U.S. growers surveyed outsourced at least some farm work to third-party service providers in 2022, with spraying services the most commonly outsourced activity.[53]
  • 66% of Queensland food-processing businesses engaged in contract manufacturing to some extent in 2010, including contracting work in or out.[52]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Budgeting models show narrow margins under migration assumptions, including a loss of $62 per colony after capital-recovery costs in the Illinois 2025–2026 model.

Pricing strategy in the beekeeping industry

  • Canada’s 2025 honey harvest was valued at C$241 million.[47]
  • New Zealand honey imports into Australia averaged A$24.53 per kilogram in 2024–25.[54]
  • Honey imports from several Southeast Asian countries and China averaged A$2.09–A$2.69 per kilogram in 2024–25.[54]
  • Average bulk honey prices in New South Wales were 20% below the previous five-year average in 2024–25.[54]
  • Canada’s 2025 honey-harvest value increased 6.4% from 2024 despite relatively low honey prices.[47]

Cost reduction in the beekeeping industry

  • The Illinois 2025–2026 migratory commercial-beekeeping model showed a loss of $62 per colony after capital-recovery costs.[55]
  • The Missouri beekeeping planning budget models operations with 10, 20 or 30 hives.[56]
  • Missouri’s planning budget lists farm-business overhead at $50 per hive in its 10-hive model.[56]
  • Labor represented 35% of total honey-production costs in the Italian Honey Cost study in 2024.[3]
  • Pennsylvania’s 10-hive production-system estimate put total start-up cost at $17,644.[57]

Profitability in the beekeeping industry

  • The Illinois 2025–2026 commercial-beekeeping model lost $62 per colony after accounting for capital recovery.[55]
  • The Florida beekeeping industry study collected data on annual revenues and operating expenditures for 2020.[28]
  • Only 3.7% of surveyed Florida beekeepers reported moving colonies between Florida and other states for honey production or pollination in 2020.[28]
  • The Illinois 2025–2026 migratory commercial-beekeeping model found narrow profit margins.[55]

Financial planning in the beekeeping industry

  • Penn State’s beekeeping budget summarizes receipts, costs and net returns for 10 mature honey bee colonies.[57]
  • USDA’s Cost of Pollination survey covered cash fees paid for honey bee pollination in 2016 and 2017.[58]
  • The Missouri beekeeping planning budget models honey-producing operations with 10, 20 and 30 hives.[56]
  • Pennsylvania’s first-year establishment estimate was based on a 10-hive unit within a 50-hive production system.[57]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Smart-beehive research divides across behavior detection, environmental parameter monitoring, forecasting, and threat detection, with 135 peer-reviewed smart-beehive papers included in 2025 review.

Product development in the beekeeping industry

  • 35 smart-beehive studies focused primarily on bee behavior detection in the reviewed global research corpus.[3]
  • 27 smart-beehive studies focused on real-time monitoring of environmental or hive-level parameters worldwide.[3]
  • 135 peer-reviewed publications on smart-beehive technologies were included in a 2025 systematic review covering research published from 1990 to 2025 worldwide.[3]
  • 17 smart-beehive studies addressed prediction or forecasting, including swarming events and honey yield, in the global literature reviewed.[3]
  • 5 smart-beehive studies focused on threat detection, including predators, theft, or environmental anomalies, worldwide.[3]

Product lifecycle in the beekeeping industry

  • 126 full-time-equivalent jobs were associated with Australian recreational beekeeping-supply purchases in 2023.[59]
  • 42 Australian businesses serviced the recreational beekeeping supply market in 2023.[59]
  • 36 Australian businesses serviced the recreational beekeeping supply market in 2019.[59]
  • 76.4% of surveyed European beekeepers reported repairing hives and frames whenever needed.[60]
  • $88.2 million was spent on beekeeping supplies by Australian recreational beekeepers in 2023.[59]

Value proposition in the beekeeping industry

  • 80 hours per year was the estimated time required for record keeping, husbandry, maintenance, harvesting, and bottling for five Australian recreational hives in 2023.[59]
  • $3 per pound was the approximate national average price paid to U.S. honey producers in 2022.[61]
  • Five hives per recreational beekeeper was the average used to estimate the economic value of Australian recreational beekeeping in 2023.[59]
  • 40% of U.S. honey production was attributed to hobbyist and part-time beekeepers in the cited industry profile.[61]
  • $241 million was the annual income from direct honeybee pollination to U.S. agriculture in 2022.[61]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Colony loss remains large and impacts sustainability planning; U.S. beekeepers lost 39.9% of managed honey bee colonies between April 2025 and April 2026.

Sustainability in the beekeeping industry

  • 318,493 colonies were managed by 2,327 surveyed U.S. beekeepers in October 2025, representing 13.2% of the national managed honey-producing colony estimate.[18]
  • 2.41 million managed honey-producing colonies were estimated in the United States in 2025.[18]
  • 1.31 pounds was the estimated annual per-capita honey consumption in the United States in 2022.[61]
  • 39.9% of managed honey bee colonies were lost by U.S. beekeepers between April 2025 and April 2026, according to the annual national survey.[18]
  • 2.71 million U.S. honey-producing colonies generated 1.48 million pounds of raw honey in 2020.[61]

Carbon footprint in the beekeeping industry

  • 44 km per hive, 32 km per hive and 13 km per hive were the average management movements reported for three migratory Italian farms.[3]
  • 0.81 ± 0.106 kg CO2e was emitted per kilogram of honey in a cradle-to-gate Chinese production assessment.[62]
  • 0.67–0.92 kg CO2e was emitted per kilogram of processed honey across a modeled U.S. commercial supply chain.[63]
  • 1.40–2.20 kg CO2e per kilogram of honey was reported for migratory beekeeping systems, compared with 0.38–0.48 kg for non-migratory systems.[3]
  • 0.44–3.18 kg CO2e was emitted per kilogram of honey across six Italian beekeeping farms and two production years.[2]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Trade and production concentrate by country; China exported 169,573 tonnes of natural honey in 2024, representing about 20.5% of reported world export volume.

Globalization in the beekeeping industry

  • 85,812 tonnes of honey were exported by Ukraine in 2024.[20]
  • 827,000 tonnes of honey were exported worldwide in 2024, based on reported country exports.[20]
  • 169,573 tonnes of natural honey were exported by China in 2024, representing about 20.5% of reported world export volume.[71]
  • 94,778 tonnes of honey were exported by India in 2024.[20]
  • Global honey export values were approximately US$2 billion in 2018.[72]

Cultural adaptation in the beekeeping industry

  • Five Kenyan communities were studied for indigenous beekeeping practices in a 2025 report covering the Endorois, Ogiek, Yiaku, Lmartin and Tharaka communities.[73]
  • Adoption of Langstroth hives varied among Kenyan communities according to access to training and resources in 2025.[73]
  • About 10% of beekeeping-related cultural identity is represented by visible forms such as song, dance, lore and art, according to an FAO beekeeping guide.[74]
  • Approximately 20 representatives from each of five Kenyan communities participated in the 2025 indigenous-beekeeping study.[73]
  • Traditional log hives remained prevalent across the five Kenyan communities studied in 2025.[73]

Supplier management in the beekeeping industry

  • Seventeen of 30 beekeepers cited Upendo Honey’s purchase of unprocessed comb honey as a reason for selling to the company in 2024.[75]
  • Free onsite training was provided by Upendo Honey field officers to participating beekeepers in 2024.[75]
  • Beekeeping incomes increased by up to 40% through the Upendo Honey partnership with traditional beekeepers.[75]
  • Upendo Honey interviewed 30 beekeepers in 2024 about why they sold unprocessed honey to the company.[75]
  • Five queen breeders participated in a 2024 U.S. partnership project to exchange and test mite-resistant honey-bee stocks.[26]

Stakeholder management in the beekeeping industry

  • Best Bees collected data from each installed hive to monitor colony health and surrounding ecosystem biodiversity in 2024.[27]
  • More than 50 nonprofit organizations nationwide received financial or honey donations from Nature Nate’s in 2023.[24]
  • Commercial U.S. beekeepers lost an average of 62% of their colonies between June 2024 and March 2025, according to Project Apis m.[76]
  • The Best Bees Company installed and maintained hives on commercial and residential properties in urban centers across the United States in 2024.[27]
  • The 2025 Kenya indigenous-beekeeping study engaged five communities through community visits and forums.[73]

Distribution channels in the beekeeping industry

  • 7% of U.S. honey purchasers bought honey from an online-only retailer in 2024.[42]
  • 22% of U.S. honey purchasers bought honey from natural-food stores in 2024.[42]
  • 16% of U.S. honey purchasers bought honey from club stores in 2024.[42]
  • 55% of U.S. honey purchasers bought honey from traditional grocery stores or supermarkets in 2024.[42]
  • 8% of U.S. honey purchasers bought honey online through a grocery-delivery app or retailer’s online portal in 2024.[42]

Key questions about the beekeeping industry

What is the global apiculture market size, and what does it cover?
The global apiculture market was valued at $9.31 billion in 2024. It includes honey, beeswax, and propolis products used in food and beverages, medicine, cosmetics, and other applications.
How fast is the apiculture market expected to grow?
The apiculture CAGR for 2025–2030 is 4.0%. Grand View Research projects the market to reach $11.78 billion by 2030.
Which companies lead the beekeeping industry?
Mann Lake leads Gitnux's 2026 beekeeping ranking with an Overall score of 9.4, with revenue growth 52%, focused on hives, live bees, medications, and honey-processing equipment. LYSON is the runner-up at 9.0, with equipment sold across all inhabited continents, including hives, extractors, and uncapping machines.
What technology shifts show up in smart-hive and digital monitoring research?
Smart-hive research used computer vision or imaging in 20 studies during 2023–2025. Digital monitoring adoption in Europe also varies by parameter: hive weight tracked by 81.8% in 2024, while hive sound tracked by 29.5% in 2024.
Is the apiculture market consolidated or fragmented?
It remains fragmented across beekeepers, cooperatives, packers, and branded honey companies rather than being controlled by a small number of global firms.
Where do pricing and production constraints matter most in the near term?
In the United States, the average honey price rose to $3.05 per pound in 2025 from $2.41 in 2024, a 27% increase. U.S. honey production fell 14% to 116 million pounds in 2025, and producing colonies declined 7% to 2.41 million.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Beekeeping Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/beekeeping-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Beekeeping Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 11 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/beekeeping-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Beekeeping Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/beekeeping-industry-statistics.

Sources & references

98 sources cited across this report

  1. revistacultivar.com
  2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. mdpi.com
  4. axios.com
  5. economicus.ue.katowice.pl
  6. research.wur.nl
  7. sciencedirect.com
  8. eu-cap-network.ec.europa.eu
  9. monitor-industrial-ecosystems.ec.europa.eu
  10. mckinsey.com
  11. oecd.org
  12. ec.europa.eu
  13. backoffice.biblio.ugent.be
  14. dnb.com
  15. manufacturingleadershipcouncil.com
  16. tracegains.com
  17. utah.ismworld.org
  18. apiaryinspectors.org
  19. release.nass.usda.gov
  20. trifactadata.com
  21. commodityorigins.com
  22. koleyjessen.com
  23. publicnow.com
  24. nateshoney.com
  25. prnewswire.com
  26. projects.sare.org
  27. 2ndandpch.com
  28. fred.ifas.ufl.edu
  29. m.agcareers.com
  30. bls.gov
  31. govinfo.gov
  32. 3ppartners.com
  33. ift.org
  34. nationalbeeunit.com
  35. culturemonkey.io
  36. peopleinsight.co.uk
  37. gfa.org.ge
  38. jobsandskills.gov.au
  39. res.mdpi.com
  40. foodengineeringmag.com
  41. ageconsearch.umn.edu
  42. honey.com
  43. belmontbeecompany.com
  44. cdn.beeculture.com
  45. msu-prod.dotcms.cloud
  46. media.sproutsocial.com
  47. agriculture.canada.ca
  48. nass.usda.gov
  49. cdn.intertek.com
  50. intertek.com
  51. fpsc-ctac.com
  52. business.qld.gov.au
  53. 1557649.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net
  54. dpird.nsw.gov.au
  55. farmdocdaily.illinois.edu
  56. extension.missouri.edu
  57. extension.psu.edu
  58. data.nass.usda.gov
  59. files.parliament.nsw.gov.au
  60. b-good-project.eu
  61. agmrc.org
  62. pjoes.com
  63. asi.ucdavis.edu
  64. mass.gov
  65. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
  66. fda.gov
  67. wtwco.com
  68. foodandag-isac.org
  69. publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu
  70. afgc.org.au
  71. wits.worldbank.org
  72. fao.org
  73. siemenpuu.org
  74. assets.accessagriculture.org
  75. iied.org
  76. utahbusiness.com
  77. grandviewresearch.com
  78. fortunebusinessinsights.com
  79. thebusinessresearchcompany.com
  80. gminsights.com
  81. esmis.nal.usda.gov
  82. agriculture.ec.europa.eu
  83. mannlakeltd.com
  84. lyson.eu
  85. nodglobal.com
  86. nekba.org
  87. dalan.com
  88. glorybee.com
  89. paradisehoney.fi
  90. thomas-apiculture.com
  91. thorne.co.uk
  92. veto-pharma.com
  93. ers.usda.gov
  94. ars.usda.gov
  95. aphis.usda.gov
  96. food.ec.europa.eu
  97. joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu
  98. knowledge-for-policy.ec.europa.eu