Commercial honeybee colonies face welfare challenges from disease, transport stress, pesticide exposure, and intensive management practices.
Bees exhibit complex social behaviour and stress responses. Colony transport exposes millions of bees to vibration, temperature extremes, and food deprivation. Varroa mites parasitise developing brood and transmit viruses. Neonicotinoid pesticides at sublethal doses impair foraging ability, causing colonies to decline. Whether bees experience subjective suffering remains debated but precautionary welfare matters.