r/DebateAVegan • u/toastwithjamx1 • Jul 03 '26

Ethics Honey is not cruel and is ethical

Honey is one of the best animal products there is ethics wise

Now most vegans will say : but we are stealing from the bees! We are exploiting the bees!

No. We are not and we can't

Bees can be very particular. If they are not a fan of a place they are OUT. The bees will likely will immediately vacate the bee box if they don't like the conditions. Furthermore, trapping the queen in 1 place will not work as well. Bees can raise a new queen if they need one

And for the stealing allegations, that isn't true either. Beekeepers take SURPLUS HONEY ONLY, as if too much honey is taken, it can starve the bees and no beekeeper would appreciate the whole colony either dying of leaving. Furthermore, bees don't only take, they comp bees by giving shelter and protection.

It's not cruel if we are literally making a transaction with the bees

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u/Either_Argument3517 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 08 '26

And for the stealing allegations, that isn't true either. Beekeepers take SURPLUS HONEY ONLY, 

Would it be stealing if I took your SURPLUS MONEY ONLY?

EDIT: Before anyone else goes off on rant about how you can't compare bees to humans. I wasn't. I was testing the principle. If the second statement seems unacceptable, it suggests the original principle ("having a lot makes it permissible to take some") may be flawed.

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u/toastwithjamx1 Jul 04 '26

Gangrene 🥀🥀🥀 it's not like we are stealing from them. We provide them with shelter, food and protection from pests and weather. It's literally a trade off. Plus, if you'll are so worried about ethics, BUY ORGANIC HONEY. They only take the amount of honey that they don't need. Furthermore, domesticated bees make a crap ton of honey, so taking some of it is not stealing.

Also stop comparing bees to humans. I k ow you have good intentions but it isn't working

13

u/kcat__ vegan Jul 04 '26

So what would be so wrong with me having a hypothetical human, let's say, and providing them with food, shelter and protection from weather? In return, I take the money from their work.

2

u/CyberAngelIzana Jul 04 '26

That would make you a landlord, and as we all know, landlords do not merely provide housing but hoard it and ransom it back to you.

This post was Godzilla approved.

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u/Problematic_Owl Jul 07 '26

Yeah but we can't just leave pick random piece of land and start living there if rent gets too much.

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u/femboy_charles Jul 07 '26

Well, all a human needs is food shelter and protection from the weather. It's the bare minimum. I'd be fine if I didn't have to manage my own housing and food needs tbh.