The rise of urban beekeeping brings conservation benefits but also risks from inexperienced management including disease spread and colony abandonment.
Poorly managed honey bee colonies suffer from varroa mite infestations that cause chronic stress to individual bees and collapse entire colonies. Abandoned colonies that swarm without management can spread disease to neighboring apiaries and wild pollinators. Responsible beekeeping requires commitment to colony health monitoring, treatment when necessary, and proper hive closure rather than abandonment.