A Systematic Review of Urban Beekeeping Regulations of Australia, the United States, and Japan: Towards Evidence-Based Policy Making

Abstract

Introduction Honey bees are widely known to provide significant benefits to mankind such as livelihood source through honey production and economic importance for agricultural production (Ayan et al., 2014; Stanhope et al., 2017). For instance, beekeepers in Canada are reimbursed for providing pollination services for hybrid canola seed productions (Hoover & Ovinge, 2018). In the report published by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the economic value of pollinating service of honey bees is estimated to be up to 577 billion dollars, emphasizing its importance (Potts et al., 2016). However, despite their socio-ecological importance, there has been a decline in bee colonies, arising major concerns, particularly to the spread of colony collapse disorder and exposure to pesticides and parasites, disrupting the beekeeping industry (Genersch, 2010; vanEngelsdorp et al., 2009; Watson & Stallins, 2016; Woodcock et al., 2016). Because of the decline of bee colonies, which became a concern socially, economically, and scientifically (Lorenz & Stark, 2015; Potts et al., 2016; vanEngelsdorp et al., 2009), there has been a global expansion of urban beekeeping (e.g., Moore & Kosut, 2013; Salkin, 2012). Bees in urban areas have better access to greater biodiversity, which in turn results in a more varied diet, thus, bees are healthier and have stronger immune systems (EMBARQ Network, 2015). Moreover, the urban beekeeping practice has been acknowledged for its importance in cultural functions such as hobbies, community building, and environmental education (Egerer & Kowarik, 2020; Skelton, 2006). However, the urban beekeeping practice is receiving negative perceptions from the public, which stemmed from safety concerns (e.g., stinging incidents) and property disputes (e.g., trespass claims) by neighbors (Gallay, 2018; Ropars et al., 2019; Stanhope et al., 2017). Recent evidence also suggests that urban beekeeping has negative impacts on wild insect densities in flowering crops (Baldock, 2020). There is, therefore, a need for good governance in urban beekeeping regulations to maximize the benefits (e.g., biodiversity conservation, livelihood source) while minimizing the risks (e.g., stinging incidents, property disputes) (Larson et al., 2020; Sponsler & Bratman, 2021).