Is honey vegan?

[SummerRain]

I too am fairly ignorant about the logistics of keeping bees. I don't eat honey because I can't ensure the way it's made is a way I'd agree with, but to my limited knowledge, I think if you kept bees for yourself and upheld strong ethical practices, for example only taking surplus honey (if such a thing exists?), not harming the bees, etc, I'd be okay with that. If it has an environmental/ecological benefit (as well as being locally sourced) then even better. It's something I've toyed with considering in the future anyway, but I'd want to find out lots more information first.

It wouldn't be vegan, of course.

 

[Muggle]

I'm going to start this by saying that I am not vegan. I'm not. So I am not talking about this from a vegan point of view. Just so you know.

I eat honey. I didn't when I was vegan but I do now. We've got a serious problem with bee population in the UK ( this is a fairly good overview). We do our best to support the local bee population, our garden has masses of lavender that is always teaming with bees, we've created a solitary bee hotel thing out of a breeze block and bamboo canes (from our own bamboo plant I want to add, not shop brought ) and the nest box outside my bedroom window has a bumblebee nest in it. Despite it being so close to my window we're not going to try to get them to move out of it. (I have just worked out from that page I linked to that it's a nest of tree bumblebees, bombus hypnorum )

Anyway, we don't buy honey from the supermarket, we get it from the monthly market. It's from a local man. Well, not quite local, he actually lives about 15 miles away but he's the only local person we know of. (There did use to be a couple in the village who sold honey but they've stopped doing it)

 

[Spang]

My joke really should have gotten some 'Likes'.