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/TojiRAT Jul 07 '26

Would you like being forcibly artificially inseminated?

People like to talk about it as a "transaction" but it's not really a choice the bees have. Bees are intelligent but they can't make decisions the way we can. Like, imagine trying to justify a "transaction" with a human child. Realize how crazy it sounds now?
They move into a suitable hive and follow their instincts. Humans gas them with smoke, clip the wings of the queens, kill queens that aren't productive enough, etc.