What are your thoughts on veganism and not having honey? esp with your dad working with honey, etc

terefah:

i suppose it depends on why you’re a vegan. if you’re in it for health or environmental reasons, consuming raw, local honey is a wonderful thing to do for your health and the environment. raw honey has a lot of health benefits, and as well as that, you’re supporting the continued pollination of your local flora by bees. don’t think i need to explain what would happen if bees weren’t around to pollinate plants and trees and crops! bees are super essential to the world’s (and your immediate environment’s) wellbeing.

if you’re a vegan because you don’t support the mistreatment of animals etc, i’d really strongly encourage you to source your honey from local beekeepers. it’s not in their best interests to harm their bees or take all their honey so that they don’t have enough left for themselves – that would be counterproductive to keeping them alive, and running a business. beekeeping has been around for thousands of years, long before capitalism & animal product industry exploitation & violence was a thing. beekeeping isn’t inherently violent, and that’s why i’d encourage you to source your honey from local, small-time beekeepers. they have a vested interest in keeping their bees alive and well.

to expand on common misconceptions about beekeeping, during the extraction of honey from hives, “smoking” a hive disrupts defensive responses by inducing a feeding response in the bee colony in preparation for potential hive abandonment due to fire. they’re literally just gorging on the honey! beekeepers have to make sure they’re burning safe materials in the smoker and spraying it from a safe distance from the hive. i’ve seen my dad do this countless times, and any beekeeper worth their salt will do it too.

as well as this, extracting honey is essential to maintaining a beehive. otherwise, the colony will fill up the hive until it’s overflowing with honey and prepare to swarm. bee swarms can be really dangerous in urban areas! and when the colony stays in the hive, beekeepers can take care of them properly, removing pests and keeping them warm in winter.

if you’re a vegan because you believe that humans don’t have the right to consume any animal product, i don’t think i’m gonna have any luck convincing you there, and i respect your views.

another great thing to do is if there’s a farmer’s market near you, check it out and have a good chat with any beekeepers selling their honey there. they can tell you some more about their personal beekeeping practice and experience. i hope this was helpful! dig the fuck in