Characterization of the Beekeeping Sector in Selected Beekeeping Regions of Saudi Arabia: Farm Structure, Productivity, Bee Health, Production System Typologies, and Beekeeper Constraints

Saudi Arabia’s beekeeping sector comprises traditional and modern frame-hive systems operating under diverse environmental and management conditions. This cross-sectional study characterized 98 purposively selected apiaries participating in the Sustainable Rural Agricultural Development (SRAD) Programme, jointly implemented by the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, across Makkah (n = 42), Jazan (n = 34), Asir (n = 16), Al-Baha (n = 4), and Al-Madinah (n = 2). Data included hive structure, honey production, Varroa occurrence, and beekeeper-reported constraints. Given the purposive and regionally unbalanced sampling, inference was restricted to the surveyed apiaries. Among 54 apiaries maintaining both hive systems, median annual yield was higher in modern than traditional hives (2.67 vs. 1.10 kg/colony; paired Wilcoxon p < 0.001). Yield also differed among regions (Kruskal–Wallis H = 19.07, p < 0.001). In the adjusted model, the proportion of modern hives was positively associated with productivity (β = 0.019; p = 0.001), whereas Varroa percentage was not (p = 0.2644). PCA explained 68.1% of variation in the first two components and supported three exploratory apiary clusters. Among 62 apiaries reporting constraints, imports/biosecurity (25.8%), predators (22.6%), and marketing/value-chain issues (19.4%) predominated. The findings demonstrate substantial heterogeneity among surveyed apiaries and support targeted extension and biosecurity interventions, while representative longitudinal studies and standardized disease diagnostics are needed for national-level inference.