When honeybees come to town: Critical aspects of urban beekeeping and opportunities for regulation

Urban areas are increasingly valued for their role in conserving wild pollinators. Honeybees are often regarded as ambassador species for pollinator conservation, and beekeeping is frequently perceived as a pro-biodiversity activity, which has become highly popular in urban areas. However, the rapid increase in documented urban honeybee populations raises concerns about potential competition for resources and disease spillover into wild bee populations. This calls for better regulation and management of urban beekeeping.
Drawing on previous studies, we present and discuss six critical social-ecological aspects of urban beekeeping, specifically, (1) the rapid growth of urban beekeeping, (2) asymmetries in the distribution of honeybee hives across beekeepers, (3) disrupted thermal balances, (4) knowledge and perceptions on urban floral resources, (5) competition for floral resources and (6) health management and disease transmission. We then discuss pathways towards a social-ecological regulation of urban beekeeping.
We advocate developing an urban bee management concept as a tool for establishing contextualized and equitable policies that work across urban land-use gradients. Such a concept can support the management of urban landscapes for mixed uses, including biodiversity conservation and agricultural production, including beekeeping. However, this concept must emerge from co-design and co-creation processes involving all stakeholders, including beekeepers and conservationists, thereby integrating diverse views and preventing confrontation. In doing so, cities can better design, manage, and plan their landscapes to support all pollinators.