Guest guest Posted August 2, 2002 Report Share Posted August 2, 2002 " Steve Smekar " <classxteve " N L " <Grrlburn Fri Aug 02 06:24:44 PDT 2002 Re: [sFBAVeg] Bees--long! >I can certainly understand the concept of bees being " farmed " and it being a vegan issue. >Can someone please explain how the farming of bees and/for their by-products is as cruel and violent as the abhorrent circumstance which cows, pigs, chickens, etc. find themselves subject to? >I must be missing something, and certainly would be grateful for clarity. >Blessings, >Steve > > " N L " <Grrlburn > >Thu Aug 01 14:47:35 PDT 2002 >[sFBAVeg] Bees--long! > >>Hi all, >> >>I've been unsure lately about my comfort level with >>bee products. I'm a vegan and currently do not use or >>consume bee products, but it's beginning to feel like >>a grey area to me. This started when I was trying to >>figure out what I could use as a base in homemade >>balms and salves. Beeswax was out and paraffin is an >>environmental disaster. In my conversations with >>others, I came across a woman who keeps bees and knows >>many beekeepers. Contrary to what I had read, she >>(nor anyone she had ever known) killed their bees over >>winter and she felt she had an interdependent >>relationship with her bees, rather than one of >>domination. They *would* kill the queen every couple >>of years to increase honey production and would >>supplement the bee's food supply with sugar water if >>they ran out of honey. >> >>In principle, I do not support using bee products >>because I don't agree with " farming " any creature and >>I feel we force our will on bees and exploit them. >>But I also know that they are essential to pollination >>and that wild/native bee populations are almost >>extinct. At the same time, we are relying more and >>more upon artificial and chemical pollination. >>Without beekeepers, what happens to natural >>pollination? Does this mean supporting local, >>responsible beekeepers is ecologically sound? Does it >>conflict with vegan ethics? Which is the greater >>good: using bee products to support environmental >>issues or continuing to eschew bee products because I >>am against exploitation? Can we have a symbiotic and >>interdependent relationship with bees--are we even >>capable of this? >> >>I hope someone has information and guidance. I'm >>feeling pretty torn on this issue. If I am >>misinformed, please inform me! >> >>Thanks, >> >>Nicole >> >> >> >> Health - Feel better, live better >>http://health. >> >> >>*Tell your friends to Be-A-Veg with SFBAVeg! To , send an e-mail to: - >>*To share a message with the group: >>*Manage your SFBAVeg list subscription: >>-Switch to no-mail: -nomail >>-Switch to daily digest: -digest >>-Switch to individual messages: -normal >>-Leave the group: - >>*If you have questions about the list, please contact Tammy and Chris, list admins, at -owner >>*/ >> >> >> >> >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 3, 2002 Report Share Posted August 3, 2002 My view on this is: if I have a choice of purchasing: a white-flour, loads of preservatives, made 2,000 miles away, non-organic, ingredients I can't pronounce, but overall " vegan " bread product or a whole wheat, minimally processed, organic, locally produced bread product that happens to contain a trace amount of honey ....then I'm going for option #2, unless I'm serving it to another vegan who doesn't eat honey. I won't buy things that use honey as a marketing tool ( " New Honey Roasted Flavor! " !) nor will I purchase straight honey (although we have some in the house for my non-vegan husband). I try not to purchase items with beeswax, although again the option is usually less palateable (such as petroleum derived ingredients). But as the only options seem to be like the in the scenario above, and as I don't feel as strongly about this issue as with eggs for example, I'm ok with this comfort level. I know that I'm doing more, from an ethical consumption standpoint, than 99% of the population. In my mind, it's more productive for other people to see that I am eating " normal " food and that veganism is actually an easy dietary choice, than to be more picky about honey and end up eating a less healthy diet which will perhaps endanger my long term health prospects. That's my choice - everyone makes their own, every day. :-) -Kim On Thu, 1 Aug 2002, N L wrote: > Hi all, > > I've been unsure lately about my comfort level with > bee products. I'm a vegan and currently do not use or > consume bee products, but it's beginning to feel like > a grey area to me. This started when I was trying to > figure out what I could use as a base in homemade > balms and salves. Beeswax was out and paraffin is an > environmental disaster. In my conversations with > others, I came across a woman who keeps bees and knows > many beekeepers. Contrary to what I had read, she > (nor anyone she had ever known) killed their bees over > winter and she felt she had an interdependent > relationship with her bees, rather than one of > domination. They *would* kill the queen every couple > of years to increase honey production and would > supplement the bee's food supply with sugar water if > they ran out of honey. > > In principle, I do not support using bee products > because I don't agree with " farming " any creature and > I feel we force our will on bees and exploit them. > But I also know that they are essential to pollination > and that wild/native bee populations are almost > extinct. At the same time, we are relying more and > more upon artificial and chemical pollination. > Without beekeepers, what happens to natural > pollination? Does this mean supporting local, > responsible beekeepers is ecologically sound? Does it > conflict with vegan ethics? Which is the greater > good: using bee products to support environmental > issues or continuing to eschew bee products because I > am against exploitation? Can we have a symbiotic and > interdependent relationship with bees--are we even > capable of this? > > I hope someone has information and guidance. I'm > feeling pretty torn on this issue. If I am > misinformed, please inform me! > > Thanks, > > Nicole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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