Why Don’t Vegans Eat Honey?
Not all, but many vegans do not consume honey.
Personally, I didn’t consume a lot of honey before I went vegan, but I didn’t have a stance on it for a while purely out of ignorance.
When I finally went to research it, I quickly picked my stance. (I wrote about it here)
Here’s my stance, friend…
I do not consume honey and will never intentionally consume honey again.
By definition, honey is an animal byproduct, which doesn’t align with the definition of veganism.
Taking honey from bees may seem harmless at face value, but it is in fact exploiting animals, which also doesn’t align with the definition of veganism.
They keep churning out honey, right, so why can’t we have and use some of it?
Very good question, homie.
Let’s dive into it!
HOW DOES CONSUMING HONEY EXPLOIT BEES?
Like other farmed animals, bees are used commercially to mass produce honey.
While a bee is not technically an animal, it still cannot give its consent to a human to be used or stolen from.
Some farmers may take ALL of a hive’s honey (usually the commercial way) and smaller, more privately owned farms or independent beekeepers may take some of it.
FAST FACT: Bees make honey as a source of food for themselves.
From honey, bees get:
Carbohydrates
Amino acids
Antioxidants
Natural antibiotics
Bees make enough for their colony and often make even more.
They make extra to ensure they have enough for winter and just in case they didn’t make enough for the whole hive.
Bees are also used to pollinate certain plants on a farmer’s schedule in mobile bee colonies to keep up with the public’s demand for certain products. (Article on avocados coming soon…)
Additionally, queen bees are sometimes artificially inseminated (like cows) or have their wings clipped to prevent them from moving to other colonies.
Overall, we are taking advantage of bees who are not here to serve us.
And vegans ain’t on board with that!
HOW ARE BEES HARMED IN THE PRODUCTION OF HONEY?
As mentioned earlier in this article, bees make honey for themselves as a source of food and natural health support.
When farmers take a hive’s honey, they will often replace the honey with any of the following:
Sucrose
High fructose corn syrup
Sugar water
Other artificial sweeteners
Without amino acids, antioxidants, and natural antibiotics, bees experience weakened immune systems and can become sick or even die.
“What’s more, there’s evidence that these sweeteners harm the bees’ immune systems and can cause genetic changes that reduce their defenses against pesticides. Both of these effects can ultimately damage a beehive”
Due to human interference, bees may be physically injured or killed, but they also may lose their stingers in response to unnatural interception with a natural process.
Lastly, and unrelated to honey consumption, but still important…
Chemicals such as insecticides and pesticides used in gardening products can wildly affect bees.
Pesticides used on people’s lawns and yards can interfere with bee health so badly that it can have rippling effects on the local ecosystem.
These chemical products can kill bees and prevent them from pollinating the flora they’d otherwise help pollinate.
photo credit: Beyondpesticides.org
WHAT REPLACEMENTS ARE THERE FOR HONEY?
Great question!
There are LOADS of honey replacements out there.
You can find most of these in your local grocery store:
Agave syrup
Maple syrup
Brown rice syrup
Molasses
Barley malt syrup
Date syrup
Glucose
Brown sugar
When there are so many alternatives available that don’t require the exploitation of bees, why not choose an ethical one that tastes just as sweet!?
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP THE BEES?
Besides replacing honey with a vegan, plant-based alternative, you can do a few things to help out the beautiful, buzzing bees Mother Earth needs to survive.
Don’t buy products that derive from bees
Not only does this apply to honey, but it also applies to:
Beeswax
Nectar
Propolis
Pollen
Bee bread
Bee venom
Royal jelly
Beehive air (yes, this is a thing)
Instead of buying a product that derives from bees or their colonies, buy vegan, plant-based alternatives.
2. Plant and create a bee-friendly garden
Learn about gardening techniques and appropriate products that will encourage bees to visit your backyard forest safely.
Grow native plants from your area that your local bees are naturally used to pollinating.
Consider planting certain flowers, fruits, or vegetables that can grow year round or that compliment each other with consistent growth around your yard.
3. Live, plant, buy, shop organically
The more organically you live, the less chemicals you’re encouraging to be put out into the world.
Organic food can be expensive, so do your best whenever you can.
The more we all shop organically, the more the demand will become obvious and hopefully more organic options become available, which should inevitably lower the price.
4. Grow your own
If you have the ability and space to do so, grow your own organic garden!
Growing your own organic garden will not only be a fun exercise in learning more about nature, but it’ll also save you tons of money at the store.
Plus, think about how satisfying it will be to eat a meal from your very own organic garden!
#Lifegoal, am I right!?
5. Build a bee hotel
Bee hotels are spaces for solitary bees to make nests.
If a bee doesn’t have a hive, providing a space for them to lay their larvae will be greatly welcomed for their survival.
There are so many easy ways you can create a bee hotel and support the local ecosystem near your home.
You can read more about bee hotels here.
Well, there you have it, friend.
Vegans don’t eat honey, because we love bees and do not want to contribute to their pain and suffering if we can help it.
When you have the choice, please consider choosing vegan, plant-based alternatives to bee-based products as well as other animal-based products.
If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below!
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