Urban gardens are increasingly important habitats for bees as farmland loses flower diversity. Garden management choices directly affect bumblebee and solitary bee welfare.
Bee welfare in urban gardens depends on the choices gardeners make about plants, pesticides, and nesting provision. Bee-friendly gardens with diverse flowering plants providing pollen and nectar from March to October support bumblebee colony welfare through their annual cycle. Avoiding neonicotinoid and pyrethroid insecticides prevents the sublethal welfare effects including impaired navigation and foraging efficiency. Providing undisturbed soil and dead wood for ground-nesting and wood-nesting bees respectively supports the nesting welfare of solitary species.