Archives for September 2008

Since the vegan ideaology extends at least as far as insects (as evidenced by the disapproval of eating honey) how does a vegan rectify the killing of billions apon billions of other bugs and worms during the production of any type of grain or vegetable? Why is killing those bugs acceptable to produce grains and vegetables, but it is unacceptable to eat honey collected from a working (and unharmed) hive of bees?

Organic, you say? Think again. You aren't really naive enough to think the organic producer lets the bugs and worms run rampant across the farm and he only collects what is left, are you? Organic produce has insect control a plenty (and actually uses far more pesticides than conventional, but that's another discussion) but the materials used are simply organic-approved.

So how do you remedy this? Seems impossible to me.
SST: There is no element of chance here. Bugs and worms ARE killed ON PURPOSE in crop production. However, bees are not killed, nor even harmed by honey production, so the vegan reasoning that honey is unacceptale just does not follow logic.
SST: I think you're taking a shot at me, but I don't even follow you, so I'm not worried about it. Anyway, honey is the food source for the hive during winter (non pollination) months. A hive needs 20-30 lbs of honey to pass winter. However, a good hive given a good pollination source produces 2-3X that amount and the excess is what is harvested. With most beekeepers, honey isn't even the primary income source since prices are so low (thank cheap imports). The primary income is from hive rental to farmers using bees to pollinate crops. One hive rents for as much as $200 for a three week season of pollination during almond bloom. A minimum of 2 hives/acre is needed. You can see the bees are a valuable resource for everyone and no one wishes them harm, especially the beekeeper paying his mortgage with them.

Is that what you wanted?

I agree. Where does it stop?

I know people should eat healthy, but how far can one go.

Maybe it is leading up to the "food disk" that they ate on "Buck Rodger in the 25th century"