Beekeeping management practices including colony splitting and queen introduction affect colony welfare and can create prolonged queenless stress states.
Honeybee colonies experience welfare stress during management interventions that disrupt colony coherence and communication. Queenless colonies show agitation and reduced foraging. Caged queen introduction involves the workers potentially killing the new queen through cage biting. Rough handling during inspections kills bees and stresses the colony. Excessive smoking suppresses communication and masks stress responses. Colony welfare in managed beekeeping depends on the skill, knowledge, and attentiveness of the beekeeper.