Honeybee colony collapse disorder has devastated managed bee populations globally, with neonicotinoid pesticides and varroa mites identified as major contributing factors.
Sublethal pesticide exposure causes navigational failure — bees leave the hive to forage and cannot return, starving alone away from the colony. Varroa infestation causes developmental deformities in pupae and chronic viral infection in adults. Whether individual bee suffering constitutes a significant welfare concern remains debated, but the ecological and food security consequences of colony collapse are enormous.