Why Honey is NOT Vegan

One question that vegans often hear, and a question that a few who refer
to themselves as "vegan" ask, is, "Why don't vegans eat honey?" Despite
the misconception that honey is healthy, (due to the inherent
unhealthiness of other highly refined and processed sweeteners), there
are many reasons for not consuming it.  These reasons range from how the
bees are treated during the production of honey, to health benefits from
abstaining from honey consumption.

It is important to bear in mind that bees are animals.  They have brains
and central nervous systems with which they comprehend their
surroundings.  This alone puts honey in the same class as dairy products
and eggs.  That being, a by-product of a living, feeling animal.
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th edition, states that an animal is:
"Any of a kingdom of living things having the capacity  for spontaneous
movement and rapid motor responses to stimulation."  It also states that
an insect is, "Any of numerous small invertebrate animals, (such as
spiders, centipedes, bugs or bees), that are more or less obviously
segmented."  With all of that in mind, let's discuss veganism.  A vegan
is, "A strict vegetarian who consumes no animal food or dairy products;"
also, "One who abstains from using animal products."
 
So ask yourself, why do vegans not drink milk?  One of the many reasons
is that it was intended to feed the mother's calf.  So too is honey
produced by a bee to feed its larve.  So, I ask you what the difference
is?  Once one is aware of what honey is and that it has no place in the
human diet, the very thought of consuming it becomes repulsive.  Honey
comes from the bee's "honey sac," (honey stomach), which is a distention
of the esophagus.  Basically, honey is nothing more that "bee vomit."
 
Like cows and chickens, bees are used as biomachines to make a product
for human consumption.  Like all forms of slavery in the modern world,
they are seen only for their use-value, or how they serve to benefit
their "owner."  They can only gather a tiny amount of pollen in each
trip, 75,000 miles of travel to gather enough pollen to produce just one
pound of honey.  They do all of this work to create food for their own
consumption alone; not for that of human beings. If bees were human,
this abusive treatment would be considered, by all, to be slavery.
 
Many believe that bees are not harmed in any way when they are used for
making honey.  This, could not be further from the truth. In the North,
it is not profitable to keep bees throughout the winter, thus they are
killed.  One way that this is done is by dousing the hive with
petroleum, then burning it.  Other times they are simply left to starve
to death, after the honey is taken.  Hives are burned when there is a
disease outbreak.  In addition, some bees are killed because they eat
honey but do not do enough work.  This is usually done at the larval
stage.
 
In order for bees to survive when the honey is taken away, a white sugar
syrup is given to them.  This substitute is not at all nutritionally
adequate replacement for the bee's necessary diet.  This malnutrition
leaves them exposed to disease.  Because of this, antibiotics like
Tetracycline, Terramycin and Sodium Sulfathiosole are mixed in with the
sugar substitute.

A bee may be an insect, but nonetheless it is a living, breathing
creature.  The act of taking away food produced for any species or their
young, (regardless of whether or not they can possibly survive with
less), is plain and simply greedy, lust for excess. Additionally, bees
are quick to defend their hive if it is disturbed; just one more
indicator that they do not willingly "give" us their honey.  In order
for a human to eat honey, first it must be stolen.
 
Not eating honey is as simple as using the following alternatives,
(there are also many others); brown rice syrup, (great for substituting
in recipes, though less sweet than honey), barley malt, sorghum,
(similar in taste to molasses), black strap molasses, fruits and fruit
juices, dates and Sucanat, (granulated cane sugar).  All of these
substitutes are available in any decent health food store.
 
Abstaining from honey is simply another step in becoming vegan.  It is
not the first or second step that people generally take, because the
injustice seems smaller and further away from us than those of other
animals.  Eliminating honey is simply another step that makes the world
a more just and peaceful place.  Please consider this with an open mind.