SABIO | South African Bee Industry Organisation

BeeCon 2026

limited Tickets Available

Welcome to The South African Beekeeping Industry Organisation (SABIO)

The South African Beekeeping Industry Organisation (SABIO) represents and supports the country’s beekeeping community, from large commercial enterprises to small-scale and emerging beekeepers.

As the national voice of the industry, SABIO works to protect the interests of beekeepers, promote responsible and sustainable practices, and ensure the long-term health of South Africa’s honeybee populations.

Through collaboration with government, researchers, and industry partners, SABIO drives progress, knowledge-sharing, and unity across the sector, building a stronger, more resilient future for bees, beekeepers, and the environment we all depend on.

Our Mission as The South African Bee Industry Association is to represent and promote the interests of all persons involved in the beekeeping industry in South Africa in order to establish, support and develop an economically viable and sustainable apicultural sector, and ensure the environmental security of the honeybee.

SABIO MEMERSHIP

WHAT CATEGORY BEEKEEPER ARE YOU ?

We generally differentiate between Professional Beekeepers who may manage between 800 and 10,000 beehives, Commercial Beekeepers have between 200 to 800 beehives, our part time Beekeepers look after 1 to 200 beehives, and Developmental Beekeepers who are operating between 10 to 100 beehives, often in Co-operative Bodies or Community Development Projects.

In addition, any persons involved in Research Work, Training and Development in Apicultural Science and Beekeeping; any persons involved in the Bottling, Packaging or Manufacture of honeybee products; any persons involved in the sale or manufacture of beekeeping equipment; and any persons involved in the capture, removal and relocation of honeybee colonies (Bee Removal Services) are all part of the South African Bee Industry.

The South African beekeeping industry includes all persons involved in the keeping of honey bees whether for commercial purposes or recreational use. Bees are kept either for honey production or for pollination purposes, or both.

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