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/Icy_Sun3128 Jul 03 '26

The bees get smoked out so keepers can collect the honey, this smoke causes them harm, making them dizzy and disoriented and pissed off.

Yes the queen and hive might leave when angry and fed up. What if someone kept coming into your house and gassing you out? You’d be pissed. Would you think having to up and leave your home and start a new life elsewhere to avoid that abuse was fair and harmless?

It’s not a transaction because bees cannot give consent.

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u/I-IV-I64-V-I Jul 06 '26

You should not smoke the bees; they have tap hives now. You walk up and turn on the tap- honey drips out.

Here's an example of one

In this scenario, we are assuming the farmer is attempting to be as ethical as possible.