Just Don't Act Like You Respect The Animals You're Profiting Off Of - Tumblr Posts
1) beekeeping is still exploitation of animals, and vegans are people against animal exploitation. It is humans taking what animals make and using that for our own consumption and to make a profit. It is people deciding that they are free to take what animals worked to make. Bees living under a beekeeper are still livestock, which leads to
2) Ok, the first point is more of a politics/morality high matter, so let's talk more welfarism-adjacent stuff
- if bees consent... why do you need a protective suit and a smoke machine. It seems that bees do, in fact, not like other creatures taking their honey. They even have a reputation for this. They have stingers and even die while using them... to sting whatever creatures are trying to mess with their hive;
- the fact that they stay does not mean that they understand that their honey will be taken. They are bees, they don't sign contracts and they cannot foresee that staying in this cosy place will lead to a human eventually taking their honey;
- also who says people don't take as much honey as they want... we live in a capitalist society with everything being pushed to make a profit;
- it will be replaced with a sugary syrup/substance... oh hey, if, apparently, honey can be replaced by that for bees, maybe we should replace honey with that for humans 😯 oh, is it not the same? why is it acceptable to give it to bees then;
- regarding bees being able to leave. Yeah, cutting the queen's wings so it can't lead the hive off is a practice. Also you'll find guides online telling you how to prevent swarming. You know, when a part of a hive wants to leave, it's the bees' way of reproduction. And guides on how to catch wild bees. People do, in fact, prevent them from leaving;
- bees make honey to survive the winter. Speaking of which, btw, discarding hives for winter and just buying new bees for the new season might be cheaper than sustaining the bees the whole time, so some people do that too.
Honestly... honey is one of the easiest things to abandon as a vegan. There are plenty of syrups you can use. You can even make your own stuff from sugar and dandelions! I should try making that in August when they bloom again
isn't honey always vegan? because bees basically consent to being beekept, make more honey than they need, and can leave if they want to? /gen
according to my little knowledge on bees, I do believe that bees are able to produce more honey than they need. however, bees are not always kept kindly. the conditions are often not in the best interest of the bees themselves. some vegans will eat honey from beekeepers that they know do their due diligence to protect bees, and aren't focused on extracting honey. but many vegans just wanna be distanced from consuming animals & their by-products, as much as they're practically able to, so that they can detach from engaging in exploitative dynamics between humans and other animals.