Expo2Bee 2026: beekeeping without borders. The second expo with an international flair

The second Expo2Bee at Targi Kielce confirmed that the event is growing dynamically and is increasingly making its mark on the international beekeeping industry. On April 11 and 12, 102 exhibitors from 10 countries presented at the Kielce exhibition and congress centre: Greece, Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Spain, Turkey, Australia, Poland and Slovenia. The exhibition attracted 2,900 industry visitors.

Expo2Bee is a magnet not only for exhibitors but also for an international audience – visitors included guests from Lithuania and Latvia, among others, further underscoring the event’s growing reach. This is a clear signal that the trade fair is becoming a space for real exchange of experiences and contacts at the international level.

The event was held under the honorary patronage of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Stefan Krajewski, who visited the trade fair and emphasised the importance of the beekeeping sector for agriculture and food security.

Beekeeping knowledge that attracts like honey

The expert-knowledge lineup, which this year attracted both professional beekeepers and enthusiasts, is a strong pillar and a competitive advantage of Expo2Bee. The agenda was exceptionally diverse – from popular science topics to practical tips for beekeepers to issues related to modern technologies and the industry’s future.

Minister Dorota Bocheńska, Chief Inspector of Commercial Quality of Agricultural and Food Products, discussed one of the industry's most important topics – the authenticity of honey and the threats posed by its adulteration.
– Today, the protection of Polish honey is not only a matter of product quality, but also the stability of the entire sector and fair rules of competition on the market – the minister emphasised.

Lectures on bee health also enjoyed great interest. Among them, particular attention was drawn to the presentation by Dr Martin Sosnar from BeeVital (Austria), who discussed the use of oxalic acid in the treatment of varroasis.  The speaker compared the effectiveness of veterinary preparations with non-commercial methods, highlighting the safety of use and the need to select appropriate therapy for bee colonies.

Participants were also eager to gain knowledge in apitherapy. Jan Borzęcki showed that bee products – honey, pollen, bee bread, and propolis – have a wide range of health-promoting applications and are increasingly used not only in dietetics but also in preventive health.

Wojciech Margowniczy's lecture aroused great interest; he debunked popular myths about "honey from the pyramids" and showed how science verifies such beliefs. Equally significant attention was paid to topics related to honey quality, its origin, and the use of new technologies – including artificial intelligence – for monitoring apiary conditions.

The program was complemented by inspirational and practical presentations, such as Piotr Smakulski's lecture "12 Rights of Bees" and meetings in the influencer zone, which attracted the younger generation of beekeeping enthusiasts.

Bee hives, conversations and concrete effects

Expo2Bee is not only a knowledge platform but, above all, a meeting place for the industry. This year's edition showed that the fair is a real space for building relationships and doing business.

– A successful trade fair, good atmosphere, and much better conditions for conversations than at other outdoor beekeeping events. We can feel that the industry is facing a difficult period. Still, we hope that the talks held here will help overcome various barriers and that domestic beekeeping will return to the path of development and growth, said Kamil Sierak from Konigin.

Other exhibitors had similar sentiments. – Saturday was a great success. I had my first break to step away from the expo stand for a moment, only after 2:00 p.m. People kept coming to ask about this or that product; we had a lot of conversations – emphasised Paweł August from PPHU Concept.

A spectacular example of the trade fair's effectiveness was Heksagon's sales results. – We sold all the machines we brought here – concluded Jędrzej Górny.

Family expo with bee education in the background

Expo2Bee has again proven that beekeeping can be an attractive topic for entire families;  the educational and workshop zone was bustling with life. Activities galore – from beeswax candle-making to creative activities for children, to honey tastings and meetings with experts.

The exhibition of works from the "Bee in the Lens" photography competition, whose final took place during the expo, also attracted great interest. Participants could see the winning photos and meet the authors, which further created the unique atmosphere of the event.

Expo2Bee - going from strength to strength

The second trade show showed that Expo2Bee has the potential to become one of the most important beekeeping events in this part of Europe. The international character, the growing number of exhibitors and the rich program confirm that the direction of development is clearly set.