THE BEE DILEMMA

THE BEE DILEMMA

One of the great vegan debates is whether honey is vegan or not.  Most vegans do not consider it vegan. The debate should be about whether the way we treat bees in modern society is vegan.  It’s not.

Sure bees are little insects most people could care less about, but their numbers are dwindling and they are on the verge of extinction.  When the bees go we will be next.  One third of our food is pollinated by bees and that is where the problem lies.

Human activity is destroying natural plants by plowing fields, building cities and homes, etc. Butterflies, bees, and birds are all losing their habitat.  Bees depend on natural plants. Fruit, nut and vegetable growers have had to import bees to pollinate their plants.  Current beekeepers make more money transporting bees thousands of miles to pollinate plants than they do selling honey.  Bee hives are piled on trailers. The vibration of the trip, the change in weather and the change in sunset and sunrise all add stress to the bee’s life.  Added to that stress is global warming, pollution, and pesticides.  Stress reduces the way their immune systems function.  Disease is wiping out our bees.

Transporting bees thousands of miles to make them pollinate trees is definitely not vegan.  But without that, we would not have the fruits and vegetables we love.

So what can we do:

First, we still all need to go vegan. Two-thirds of the land mass is used to either raise or feed farmed animals.  This land is cleared of plants bees need to survive.  It takes less land to grow fruits and vegetables to feed humans directly than it does to raise animals for flesh eating. Going vegan and returning this land to its natural state will help bees recover.

Second, buying local will help.  Also, we should pass legislation that requires fruit and vegetable growers to have their own bee hives for their crops. Especially those labeled vegan or organic.

Third, everyone should stop using pesticides.  Stop putting chemicals on their lawns, even better forgo the lawn and plant wildflowers and other flowering plants for the bees.

Fourth. everyone who has land should start a bee hive. Not for honey, but just for the bees. Other than checking on them once in a while, just let them be bees.

Don’t buy honey or products made with honey.  Don’t buy products made with beeswax or royal jelly.  Show companies that we will not support the demise of bees for money.

We need to do all we can to help this most important little insect.  When they go extinct, humans will not be far behind. The sooner humans realize that all life on this planet is important to the well-being

of all its inhabitants the better. All life is precious and we are all connected.  It’s important for the future of our children and grandchildren to start to do something now.

Resources:

Vanishing of the bees

Silence of the Bees

A Taste of Honey

PICTURES OF MY FRONT YARD