Mexico Expands Bee Protection and Honey Production

Mexico produced 60,297t of honey in 2025, a 5% increase compared to the 57,430t reported a year earlier, as federal and local authorities expanded measures to strengthen the apiculture sector, protect pollinators, and promote sustainable agricultural practices.

According to the General Directorate of Agrifood and Fisheries Information Service (DGSIAP), honey production in Mexico totaled 54,122t in 2020, reflecting steady growth over the past five years. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) attributed the increase to the work of more than 47,000 honey producers nationwide, according to the National Atlas of Bees and Beekeeping Products compiled by INEGI,, which identifies 45 types of honey-producing bees in the country.

SADER stated that Mexico ranks as the world’s tenth-largest honey producer among 115 countries and said current policies aim to expand market opportunities for Mexican honey through sustainable production practices and pollinator protection initiatives.

Among the actions promoted by the ministry is a campaign focused on coexistence between agriculture and apiculture through improved pesticide management practices. The initiative is carried out in coordination with the German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) under the POLILAC project, which seeks to protect pollinating insects.

Authorities in Chiapas and Quintana Roo also implemented measures to reduce pollinator poisoning linked to pesticide application. In coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), SADER is developing a prevention protocol intended to mitigate pesticide-related impacts on pollinators, including Apis mellifera bees.

The government also expanded agroecological training through Field Schools (ECAs), which promote preventive pest monitoring, disease management, and technologies aimed at improving honey extraction and other bee-derived products. Authorities said these programs support local economies and help beekeepers access food, cosmetics and ecological product markets domestically and internationally.

The initiatives are supported by animal health campaigns led by National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) to protect bee populations from pests and diseases that threaten pollinator survival.

The sector remains an economic driver for rural communities through the production of honey, pollen, royal jelly, propolis, bee venom, and beeswax.

At the local level, Mexico City’ Ministry of the Environment (SEDEMA) announced the approval of the Law for the Promotion of Apiculture and Conservation of Pollinators in Mexico City,  establishing a legal framework to protect, regulate and promote pollinators and beekeeping activities in the capital.

The legislation recognizes bees, including native species and Apis mellifera, as priority protected species alongside butterflies, hummingbirds, bats, moths and beetles due to their role in biodiversity conservation and agricultural, forestry, and urban ecosystems.

The law seeks to guarantee pollination-related ecosystem services while promoting sustainable use of the apiculture sector and strengthening habitat protection for pollinators. It also includes measures related to ecological restoration, pollinator gardens, environmental education, scientific research and biodiversity conservation.

Among the provisions included in the legislation are the creation of a Beekeeping Registry for Mexico City, protocols to address mass bee mortality events, germplasm banks for native melliferous flora, and urban conservation strategies through pollinator gardens.

The legislation also prohibits highly hazardous pesticides such as neonicotinoids and fipronil, bans the release of genetically modified organisms that could threaten pollinators or ecosystems and establishes bee swarm rescue as a matter of public interest instead of destruction.

In addition, the law mandates that SEDEMA align local policy with Mexico’s National Pollinator Strategy and requires municipal authorities and the Ministry of Works and Services (SOBSE) to incorporate pollinator-friendly flora into reforestation and urban landscaping projects.

FAO whose 2025 World Bee Day theme is “Together with bees, for people and the planet,” also called on urban populations to support pollinator conservation through pollinator-friendly gardens and by purchasing products from local beekeepers.