Adapting the social practice of beekeeping to a changing climate

Abstract Beekeeping offers a lens to study climate change, linking ecological dynamics with cultural practices, technologies, and livelihoods. While ecological impacts on bees and pollination are well studied, less is known about how beekeeping as a social practice adapts. This systematic review synthesizes 27 peer-reviewed studies across regions and disciplines, guided by social practice theory. We examine five interrelated dimensions—competences, materials, meanings, temporalities, and more-than-human relations—shaping beekeeping under climatic stress. Findings show adaptation is not limited to technical fixes. It includes changes in knowledge, hive design, timing, and shifts in cultural meanings and relations with bees and landscapes. Strategies range from hive modifications and transhumance to community learning and new framings of risk. However, adaptive capacity is uneven. Conceptualizing beekeeping as a climate-sensitive practice advances inter- and transdisciplinary dialogue and fosters more inclusive and effective adaptation strategies. This approach to reviewing practical climate micro-adaptation is replicable in other fields of practice.