Bees and other pollinators face multiple welfare threats from systemic insecticides, habitat loss, and disease that affect individual insect welfare alongside pollination ecosystem services.
The welfare of individual bees and other pollinators is a growing area of scientific and ethical consideration. Evidence shows that honeybees and bumblebees show nociceptive responses, show pessimistic cognitive biases after stressful experiences, and can be conditioned to avoid noxious stimuli — evidence that is interpreted by some researchers as consistent with capacity for suffering. Varroa mite infestations cause physical harm as mites feed on developing pupae. Sublethal insecticide exposure impairs learning, navigation, and social behaviour. The scale of pollinator populations means that even small per-individual welfare impacts aggregate to enormous numbers of affected animals. A welfare perspective on pollinators complements conservation and economic arguments for protection.