Vegetarianism Stack Exchange
Vegetarianism Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [bees]

Honeybees play an important role in industrial agriculture and they also produce honey and beeswax. There are over 20,000 species of bees.

Although the known bees are the European honeybee (apis mellifera) and the bumblebee (apidae bombini) there are over 20,000 distinct species of bee that have been identified.

Most bees do not live in hives or produce honey and therefore have not been domesticated and bred for human use. Examples of other groups are mason bees and carpenter bees.

Bees are sometimes of interest to vegetarians because of their importance in pollinating a wide variety of plants that produce food for humans. Although honeybees aren't always the best pollinators, they are often used for pollinating large scale industrial monocrops because they can be easily moved around by virtue of living in hives.

The question most commonly asked of vegans (and by vegans) about bees is:

Related tags:

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Is honey considered vegan?

Since vegan diet avoids animal products, does it include natural honey? Does it depends whether some bees are killed while beekeepers gather their honey?
kenorb
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What impact would stopping human consumption of honey have on worldwide bee populations?

Large populations of bees are used by humans to produce honey. Most vegans do not consume honey as it is an animal product and therefore it is in conflict with their beliefs. Are there any studies/predictions on what would be the impact of major…
Alexander Rossa
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Is there a vegan alternative to beeswax for wooden furniture?

Many polishes for wooden furniture are made with beeswax or other animal-derived ingredients. As a vegan, I'm refusing buying any of those products. Does any alternative to beeswax for polishing wooden furniture exist?
Niitaku
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Is using bee's wax OK for vegans?

I am not vegan, but was wondering whether vegans will use bee's wax. My guess is that, given most won't eat honey, the answer is no but the method of collecting wax can be different, for example it could be taken from abandoned hives.
Steve
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Are crops pollinated by bringing in bees still vegan?

I had someone smugly tell me that I need to stop eating fruits and vegetables where bees have been brought in to pollinate them. I've responded that I'm fine with plants being pollinated by bees, but it does make me wonder about the fate of those…
David S
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Do apiculturists make more money from honey or pollination services?

Honey bees, specifically the European Honey Bee (apis mellifera), are often used in service of pollinating crops in large industrial monocultures. These bees also produce honey which is collected and sold for profit. Is honey the main product or is…
Nic
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Do vegans consume crops pollinated by captive bee labor?

Bees are used as slave labor to pollinate a huge number of crops. How do we justify the exploitation of honey bees to produce food? Avocados, almonds, and blueberries are just a few examples of crops dependent on prison bee labor.
David
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