I am a beekeeper. I feel that all these assumptions that honeybees in the care of a keeper live horrible lives. In fact, when in the care of a beekeeper, usually their lives are above the average life of a feral colony. The only exception to this is migratory beekeepers, who even with best effort, find it hard to care for the bees under the constant stress of being moved. But, if you like your almonds and oranges for California, I wouldn't complain too much.
Feral colonies live in cavities in trees, usually consisting of 40 liters of space. Even with walls up to 5 inches thick, colonies living in the tree cavities have a %25 to %50 mortality rate, and almost a %75 mortality rate over winter if the colony was established that year. That makes the %30 fatality of bees kept by beekeepers seem rather small. Langstroth hives do have fairy thin walls, but most beekeepers provide a nice windbreak and might even wrap them in black plastic to keep them warm. Even if these were not offered, honeybees can generate their own heat as long as they have calories (honey) to burn. Keepers feed their bees if they seem a little low on stores to assure their survival.
1 kg of honey consumed probably doesn't mean 200,000 days of extra bee farming! My bees produced 30 pounds (roughly 15 kg) of honey in a single week. As for parasites and diseases, honeybees are viewed as a beekeepers responsibility. We treat our bees for parasites, such as varroa, and diseases that occur regularly. Feral colonies do not have this privilege of being looked after.
I see that the argument of a very short life in bees was made. Honeybees work themselves literally to death to gather nectar to turn into honey. It is part of a honeybee's biology. They would do it in the wild, and they would do it even if they had more than enough food. They do it to themselves for the good of the colony. Honeybees should not be viewed as individuals, but as a single organism.
All in all, honey is technically"farmed" by honeybees, but should be safe to eat for vegans. It is all natural. Of honey can't be eaten by vegans because it was produced by bees, then neither can fruits and vegetables because more than %30 of them were pollinated by honeybees, making them therefore a product of them. Eating honey does not contribute to bee farming and bee death.
I am a beekeeper. I feel that all these assumptions that honeybees in the care of a keeper live horrible lives. In fact, when in the care of a beekeeper, usually their lives are above the average life of a feral colony. The only exception to this is migratory beekeepers, who even with best effort, find it hard to care for the bees under the constant stress of being moved. But, if you like your almonds and oranges for California, I wouldn't complain too much.
Feral colonies live in cavities in trees, usually consisting of 40 liters of space. Even with walls up to 5 inches thick, colonies living in the tree cavities have a %25 to %50 mortality rate, and almost a %75 mortality rate over winter if the colony was established that year. That makes the %30 fatality of bees kept by beekeepers seem rather small. Langstroth hives do have fairy thin walls, but most beekeepers provide a nice windbreak and might even wrap them in black plastic to keep them warm. Even if these were not offered, honeybees can generate their own heat as long as they have calories (honey) to burn. Keepers feed their bees if they seem a little low on stores to assure their survival.
1 kg of honey consumed probably doesn't mean 200,000 days of extra bee farming! My bees produced 30 pounds (roughly 15 kg) of honey in a single week. As for parasites and diseases, honeybees are viewed as a beekeepers responsibility. We treat our bees for parasites, such as varroa, and diseases that occur regularly. Feral colonies do not have this privilege of being looked after.
I see that the argument of a very short life in bees was made. Honeybees work themselves literally to death to gather nectar to turn into honey. It is part of a honeybee's biology. They would do it in the wild, and they would do it even if they had more than enough food. They do it to themselves for the good of the colony. Honeybees should not be viewed as individuals, but as a single organism.
All in all, honey is technically"farmed" by honeybees, but should be safe to eat for vegans. It is all natural. Of honey can't be eaten by vegans because it was produced by bees, then neither can fruits and vegetables because more than %30 of them were pollinated by honeybees, making them therefore a product of them. Eating honey does not contribute to bee farming and bee death.