Why can't vegans eat honey?

Question

I know it's made from bees, but doesn't contain any animal product, does it? And, does making honey hurt the bees?

Answer 1

Vegans don't use any product that is made from animal's bodies, or that is harvested from what the animals created.

A little insight as to possibly why:

For instance, silk from the silk worm is produced naturally, but to keep up with our demands for more silk, the worms are squeezed to make them produce silk faster. Honey is produced naturally by bees, but we create an unnatural production situation for them to keep up with our supply and demand needs. We make the system unbalanced because of it. And lactating cows are kept in their lactating stage for up to 3 years after they give birth to their calves. I know that must be uncomfortable for them. . .I wouldn't want that for myself, that's for sure!

Answer 2

Vegans generally don't believe in consuming any products that have been created by living creatures. Many vegans also won't consume milk or milk products for the same reason. So while a bee is an insect, and not an animal, it is a living creature.

Answer 3

Well you have that very very long read above - but my short version;

Lets assume for a second that Bees don't feel pain, or at least that harvesting their honey doesn't cause them pain (which no one proved to me yet, but lets assume so for a second):

Bees make honey to feed their young & to have enough food for the winter. It's what they do most of their life..... What gives me the right to come and take it from them....?

If your neighbor made a really nice cake for her sons birthday party, would you go and take it from her?
She made it, It's hers, her son needs it for a party - who are you to come and say "nice cake - mine!".......?


Besides that - how gross is honey anyway;
Would you eat something your dog ate, threw up and buried in a hole in the ground for a few months? Me neither......

Answer 4

To comment on a previous answer - milking cow does actually hurt them. In many ways. first of all, cow only make milk when they are pregnant or for a period of time after they have their calves. dairy cows are pregnated annually to keep their milk flowing, and their calves are taken from them days after birth to be used for veal. secondly, being hooked up to machines to constantly produce milk hurts the cows, much as it would a lactating woman. many suffer from infections and lameness from constant milking and lack of space to move around. lastly, dairy cows that cannot produce enough milk (after only about 4 year, much less than the natural life span of a cow) are used for ground beef. so that's why vegans don't eat dairy - it supports the veal industry, the beef industry, and is very cruel to the animals.

As for honey - it's made for bees, not humans. Its also basically bee puke, so that's gross. eating honey is stealing food from another being, so eat your own vomit.

Answer 5

No it doesn't hurt the bees...they do it naturally...But milking a cow doesn't injure the cow and vegans will not use dairy products. I think the philosophy revolves around other animals working or dying for human consumption...I could be wrong though.

Answer 6

I believe that vegans not only won't eat animals, they won't eat any products made by animals, either. Since honey is a product made by animals, that would qualify.

Answer 7

Simply because a lot of bees die during the harvesting of honey. Not many people realise that.

Answer 8

honey is made by a bug i don't think it hurts to eat honey.

Answer 9

same reason they don't drink milk...being a vegan means you don't eat or drink ANYTHING that comes from any animal.