Journal of Animal Production, Print ISSN: 2008-6776., Online ISSN: 2382-994X

Evaluation of the economic performance of three honeybee breeds under stationary and migratory management systems

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Mahdi Akhavan Moghaddam 1
Mohammad Moradi Shahrbabak 2
Seyed Reza Miraei-Ashtiani 3
Ali Sadeghi-Sefidmazgi 4

1 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran. E-mail: akhavanmm@ut.ac.ir

2 Corresponding Author, Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran. E-mail: moradim@ut.ac.ir

3 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran. E-mail: ashtiani@ut.ac.ir

4 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran. E-mail: sadeghism@ut.ac.ir

https://doi.org/10.22059/jap.2026.407149.623884
Abstract
Objective: Honey bees contribute not only to pollination of numerous agricultural, horticultural, and wild plants, but also to food security and livelihoods of rural families in Iran through the production of honey and other bee products. Productive and economic efficiency of beekeeping is highly influenced biological factors (breed) and management factors (stationary and migratory management systems), but the performance evaluation of different honey bee breeds commonly used in the country under two different management systems (stationary and migratory) has been overlooked. 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 was a field study with a questionnaire conducted in the fall and winter of 2024 with 595 beekeepers, with 249 apiaries of pure honey bee breeds after data screening. Variables included honey yield, feed intake, winter losses, labor wage, transportation, and queen replacement costs, income from honey, and by-products per colony per year and calculated profit and revenue-to-cost ratio per colony. 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: There was a significant effect of queen genotype on honey production (P<0.05), imported queens produced more honey than native queens, and no significant difference was observed between the imported breeds,; however, when honey was the only product of the apiary, in the economic analysis, the Carnica colonies had a higher revenue-to-cost ratio than Ligustica. Management type (stationary or migratory) did not have a significant effect on honey yield by itself. Overall, multi-product beekeepers had 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. Feed and labor wages were the two largest cost components. These results suggest that decision-making should not be based on colony performance alone, but economic returns should also be considered.
Conclusions: Genetically improved breeds and product diversity can be effective in improving the productivity and profitability of beekeeping in Iran. While migratory management alone did not increase honey production, it did impact the cost structure. This study can help improve the production structure, optimize management, and develop markets for by-products in the country’s beekeeping sector.

Keywords

Beekeeping management
Economic analysis
Honey bee
Honey yield
Multi-product system
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Journal of Animal Production, Print ISSN: 2008-6776., Online ISSN: 2382-994X
Volume 28, Issue 3
Summer 2026
Pages 289-305

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