Colony collapse disorder and related honey bee population declines raise both conservation and welfare questions about the causes and consequences of mass colony death.
Colony collapse and its drivers represent welfare harms at both colony and individual level. At colony scale, the death of a hive represents the loss of tens of thousands of individual bees and the social superorganism they constitute. At individual level, Varroa mite infestation causes physical damage and immune suppression, pesticide exposure causes neurological impairment and death, and long-distance commercial pollination transport causes thermal and nutritional stress. Managing these risks requires integrated approaches combining reduced pesticide exposure, effective Varroa management, nutritional support, and reduced transportation stress.