Commercial honey bees are essential to global food production through pollination services, yet their welfare is rarely considered despite growing evidence that bees have richer inner lives than previously assumed.
Honey bee welfare occupies an uncertain but increasingly important space in welfare science. The scale of bee keeping globally, combined with emerging evidence of cognitive sophistication and potential emotional states, creates a precautionary case for welfare consideration. Commercial pollination practices including overwintering on sugar syrup rather than honey, prophylactic antibiotic use, and migratory stress may all affect colony and individual bee welfare. Supporting native pollinators alongside managed bees reduces pressure on managed colonies.