Commercial bumble bee colonies are produced and used for greenhouse pollination globally, with welfare and conservation concerns about their production and escaped colonies.
Bumble bees in commercial production are reared in artificial conditions that may not meet their complex needs for foraging range, natural nest construction and social organisation. Disease spillover from escaped commercial colonies has been implicated in the decline of wild bumble bee species in North America and Japan. Individual bumble bees show evidence of play behaviour and emotional states, suggesting welfare beyond the colony level.