## 3 Results  
Keeping in mind our functional approach of HBW [33], we defined HBWPs as \"all those operational activities that aim to implement positively best living conditions for honey bees, pursuing optimal welfare for humans, animals and the environment\". A total of 243 practices (see Annex) were classified as HBWPs, expanding on those previously identified in GBPs and BMBs within the BPRACTICES project. In addition, 28 new practices, primarily focused on preventing unnecessary suffering and addressing honey bee behaviors (Table 1), were introduced to ensure comprehensive coverage of honey bee welfare, as they had not been covered in the BPRACTICES project. Each practice was evaluated to confirm its alignment with the HBWP definition and to determine its corresponding domain (see Appendix A Table 1). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c l l} \hline \hline  & **Honey Bee Welfare Practices** & **Honey Bee Welfare Domain** \\ \hline
1. & Ensure that honey bees are housed under optimal physiological conditions, including temperature and humidity control & **E/B**/M \\ \hline
2. & Locate the hive in a biodiverse area with a variety of mellifera and nectaeous plants, as well as bushes that provide natural foraging and swarming opportunities for honey bees & **E/B/N/H**/M \\ \hline
3. & Locate the hive avoiding light pollution, and excessive vibrations & **E/H**/N/M \\ \hline
4. & Locate the hives avoiding excessive chemical pollution PPPs & **E/H**/N/M \\ \hline
5. & Maintain appropriate distances between different apiaries & **H/E/N/B**/M \\ \hline
6. & Ensure proper hive density per area & **H/E/B**/M \\ \hline
7. & Prefer to place apiaries at a lower height than the foraging area, allowing foragers carrying nectar and pollen to return to their hive without fatigue & **E/M** \\ \hline
8. & During transport, ensure that bees are exposed to minimal mechanical stress by scheduling stopovers to allow rest and recover & **H**/E/M \\ \hline
9. & Prioritize gentle bekeeping practices during inspections preventing unnecessary suffering during inspections (e.g., by avoiding abrupt or sudden movements; using well-fitted latex gloves; lifting or moving combs/frames carefully; avoiding bee crushing, e.g., when closing the hive top, using the smoker properly) & **H/B**/M \\ \hline
10. & Avoid rearranging the order of combs unless necessary & **B**/E/H/M \\ \hline
11. & Avoid moving hives unless necessary & **E/B**/N/M \\ \hline
12. & Do not open the hive at night or when it is rainy or windy & **B**/H**/E/M \\ \hline
13. & Breed your own autochthonous, locally adapted queens & **E/H**/B/M \\ \hline
14. & Be cautious when handling the queen (e.g., avoiding damaging her or displacing her outside the hive) & **H**/B/M \\ \hline
15. & Confine the queen in a way that allows her to move freely and lay eggs & **B/H**/M \\ \hline
16. & Do not replace the queen & **H**/B/M \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: New Honey Bee Welfare Practices identified. We adapted to honey bees the Five Domains, identifying challenges and opportunities concerning their welfare. The results are shown in Table 2.  
After a detailed analysis of the 243 identified HBWPs, all practices were considered relevant to the mental state domain (M), 42 were assigned to the nutrition/hydration domain (N), 94 to the environment domain (E), 217 to the health domain (H), and 50 to the behavior domain (B) (Table 3). During the allocation, each HBWP could be assigned to more than one domain (Table 3).