Urban beekeeping is the practice of keeping bee colonies (hives) in towns and cities. It is also referred to as hobby beekeeping or backyard beekeeping. Bees from cities apiaries are said to be "healthier and more productive than their country cousins". Once banned procedure became significantly famous among urban dwellers especially to those who are interested in farming or this related fields.The movement gained momentum in places like Paris in the 1980s and has since spread globally, reflecting a broader interest in sustainable, artisanal food production. Nowadays, this production is most popular in major cities like, London, New York, Detroit, Paris, Istanbul, Seoul and many more.

Bees help to fertilize plants through the transfer of pollen. This not only supports urban agriculture and green spaces but also enhances the overall biodiversity and local food systems of city environments. Urban beekeeping can lead to higher yields in community gardens and boost the health of local flora fostering connection between humans and nature.

Additionally, bees in urban settings often have access to a wide variety of plants and flowers, which helps produce unique, high-quality honey. While urban beekeeping requires careful management to address challenges like limited space and ensuring the bees do not become a nuisance, it has become an important part of urban sustainability efforts and a popular hobby that connects city dwellers with nature.

Most cities in North America once prohibited the keeping of bees, but in recent years, beekeepers have succeeded in overturning these bans. Many urban areas now attempt to regulate the activity; while registering beehives is often mandatory, a high proportion of urban beekeepers do not inform the city. The popularity of urban beekeeping was growing rapidly c. 2012 perhaps due to its inclusion in the local food movement. Between 1999 and 2012, London saw a 220% increase in beekeepers.

Due to the increase in artificial beehives in London notably, there is mounting evidence that honey bees are greatly outnumbering wild pollinators. The actions of private companies adding more hives are upsetting the preventive actions of pollinator conservation groups.^{[citation needed]}

Swarming is a common occurrence in beekeeping. While harmless, the sight of a swarming colony in urban areas can make people fearful. Limited resources are another concern for urban beekeeping. As cities have limited greenspaces, the increasing popularity of the hobby may lead to lower honey yields as has been reported in London and New York City. According to a 2015 research study, urban environments have also been shown to favor viability and transmission of some disease agents that affect honey bees.

Using managed honeybee colonies to fill the ecological niche of pollinators in urban environments is thought to be crucial to preventing the formation of feral colonies by more destructive species like the Africanized honeybee (AHB).

Managed urban honeybee colonies can also provide pollination for urban green spaces, and allows apiarists to collect critical information about the ecological conditions of an urban environment based on the condition of the bee colony.