Managed honeybee colonies placed in monoculture agricultural landscapes face severe nutritional deficits during bloom periods and near-starvation between crops, compromising immune function and colony survival.
Nutritional deficiency in bee colonies creates chronic stress at the individual level — worker bees with compromised immune systems experience higher parasite loads and shorter lifespans. Larvae in nutritionally poor colonies develop into smaller, shorter-lived adults. The welfare dimension of managed bee nutrition deserves greater attention alongside productivity concerns.