Introduction: Honey bees play an important role not only in pollinating many agricultural, horticultural, and wild plants, but also in enhancing food security and supporting the livelihoods of rural households in Iran through the production of honey and other bee products. Biological factors, such as breed, and management factors, including stationary and migratory management systems, have a significant effect on the productivity and economic efficiency of beekeeping. However, the evaluation of performance of different honey bee breeds commonly used in the country under two different management systems (stationary and migratory) has received less attention.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate the productive and economic performance of three common honey bee breeds (native, Carnica, and Ligustica) under two management systems, stationary and migratory, in Iran.

Method: This study was conducted as a field survey using a questionnaire during the autumn and winter of 2024, and data were collected from 595 beekeepers. After data screening, 249 apiaries with pure honey bee breeds were selected. Variables such as honey yield, feed consumption, winter losses, labor wage, transportation, and queen replacement costs, income from honey, and by-products per colony per year were extracted. Finally, profit and revenue-to-cost ratio per colony were calculated. Statistical analyses were performed using the Mixed procedure, correlation coefficients among some variables were estimated, and mean comparisons were conducted using Tukey-Kramer method and, in some cases, simulation-based approaches.

Results: The results showed that queen genotype had a significant effect on honey production (P < 0.05), such that colonies with imported breeds produced more honey compared to native ones. Among the imported breeds, no significant difference in honey yield was observed; however, in the economic analysis, when honey was the only product of the apiary, the Carnica colonies had a higher revenue-to-cost ratio compared to Ligustica. Management type, whether stationary or migratory, did not have a significant effect on honey yield by itself. From an economic perspective, multi-product beekeepers achieved higher net profit and revenue-to-cost ratio compared to single-product beekeepers. Additionally, migratory beekeepers obtained greater returns relative to their investment compared to stationary beekeepers. The largest cost components were feed and labor wages. These results indicate that evaluating colony performance alone is not sufficient for decision-making and that economic returns should also be considered.

Conclusions: The use of genetically improved breeds and product diversity can play an effective role in increasing the productivity and profitability of beekeeping in Iran. Although migratory management by itself did not increase honey production, it affected the cost structure. The results of this study can guide the improvement of production structure, optimization of management, and development of markets for by-products in the country’s beekeeping sector.