The first thing that pops to mind when I think of veganism, is of excluding meat/fish, dairy and eggs.
Those who follow a vegan diet do not consume animals or their derivatives, which means EVERY derivative is excluded, not just milk and eggs.
Other derivatives, including honey, are produced by animals and must be excluded from a vegan diet. Just because honey is produced by a tiny insect doesn’t make the issue any less relevant. Excluding honey is as important as excluding any other animal derivative.
There is a common misconception implying that bees produce honey strictly for humans to consume. Therefore, the sole purpose of bees serve humans and their love of honey. That sounds absurd, doesn’t it? This notion could not be further from the truth.
In this article, I will explain the reason why honey is not vegan, and I’ll also show you how the lives of bees and other insects are threatened and how that negatively impacts the planet.
Is honey vegan?
Honey is mainly composed of sugars (glucose and fructose) and is a thick amber or golden-colored liquid. It is produced by bees and is created from nectar extracted from plants, namely flowers.
Honey is produced by bees and is their food, so it is not vegan. It is their energy source and without it, they would die of hunger. Honey also provides bees with the essential nutrients they need to survive severe weather or the harsh winter months.
The bees used in the production of commercial honey will visit up to 1500 flowers, producing just one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in their entire lives.
Going from the nectar to honey
Nectar is usually obtained when bees pollinate.
- Bees transport nectar in their tummy, where the invertase enzyme transforms sucrose into glucose and fructose, as they hop from one flower to another before reaching their hive.
- In the hive, the nectar is transferred from bee to bee, where additional enzymes are added each time a bee receives the nectar. This process can last for a period of 20 minutes, further breaking down the sugars.
- Then, the nectar is deposited into the honeycomb where plenty of water exists. Bees ventilate the nectar to accelerate the evaporation of the water and finally seal the honeycomb which can then be stored indefinitely. It is after this stage that the beekeeper removes honey from the hive.
Why are bees so freakin’ important?
This big uproar around honey and bees exists because, in addition to being a product of animal origin, bees are also very important for life on the planet, including our very own life.
Few plants can reproduce themselves, so most depend on animals, wind, or water to reproduce, through pollination. Pollinating animals are insects, birds, squirrels, monkeys, rodents, and reptiles. In Europe, the most predominant pollinators are butterflies, bees, beetles, flower flies, moths, and wasps.
Bees are very important for biodiversity, as they are considered the biggest pollinator in the world, being essential for a wide range of plantations and wild plants.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that of the 100 plant species that supply 90% of food worldwide, 71 are pollinated by bees. Most crops in Europe depend on insect pollination.
Bumblebees are considered the best pollinators in wild territories and the most efficient in pollinating tomatoes, squash, and red fruits.
Having fewer bees literally means having less biodiversity, which is reflected both in nature itself and in the food supply, including our own.
Why are bees vanishing?
As we’ve seen, the approximately 25,000 species of bees are important for biodiversity and essential for pollination, and even though the data is limited, it appears that the bee population is declining.
From 1947 to 2008, the total US bee population decreased by 61%.
Over the past 15 years, beekeepers have reported an unusual decrease in the number of bees and losses of their colonies mainly in the USA and Europe.
American beekeepers lose an average of 30% of their bee colonies each winter.
Not only is the number of commercial bees decreasing, but wild bees are also on the decline.
Compared to the period before 1974, there is now nearly a 50% reduced chance of seeing bumblebees in North America, whatever the area.
It’s still not fully understood why the bee population is declining at such a quick rate but there doesn’t seem to be a single cause tied to it. However, some causes have been suggested by experts, namely:
- Agriculture and intensive use of pesticides
Intensive farming provides an unfavorable environment for bees: there are fewer flowers, fewer peaceful places to build nests, and an abundance of pesticides.
Pesticide residues can be ingested by bees during the harvest of nectar or water. In 2012, scientific discoveries found that some insecticides present high risks for bees, namely the ones called neonicotinoids and fipronil.
A 2014 study published in the Bulletin of Insectology found that when bees were exposed to imidacloprid or clothianidin at a dose of 0.73 ng/bee/day for 13 consecutive weeks, from July to September 2012, six of the twelve previously healthy colonies, died and all exhibited symptoms of colony collapse disorder (CCD) during the winter months.
Since its appearance in 2005/2006, the colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a phenomenon that occurs when most of the worker bees in the colony disappear, leaving behind the queen, a lot of food,