While some people think that vegans who don’t eat honey are taking things a little too far, there actually is a logical reasoning for their actions that ties into vegetarian philosophy. Basically, the use of honey would fall into the category of exploitation of animals that could affect or damage a creature’s way of life or cause it to otherwise suffer.
Veganism is a lifestyle that promotes a reverence for life that excludes all exploitation and cruelty to members of the animal kingdom. For this concept to be fully effective, it requires that a person not only refrain from eating animals, but also not to participate in the use of certain animal by-products.
In this respect, Vegans believe that bees produce honey for themselves and not for humans. In order to use the honey, we destroy their habitats and steal it from them for our own benefit. In the process, bees are often crushed and queen bees are regularly killed intentionally to control the hives. The bees are often gassed, starved during transportation and otherwise abused when handled commercially.
Many bees may be kept lovingly by hobby bee-keepers and small bee farms, but most mass-produced honey comes from huge bee “factories” where large numbers are killed in the industrial process. There is also evidence that the bees react to stress from having humans reorganize the architecture of hives and social structures they are designed to live with in nature.
Also, when removed from their natural habitats, bees often fall victim to infections, diseases and parasites. In many cases, these situations are “cured” by destroying the hives, along with the bees that are affected. In even the most ideal conditions, bees inevitably will suffer unnatural injuries and deaths. With this being said, it is also important to remember that honey is not an important nutritional substance that humans require for survival. In fact, honey is essentially only a novelty food that can easily be substituted by a variety of other sweetening products.
In addition, bees have been proven to have one of the highest intelligence factors among insects, which is evident in their ability to communicate with one another. By believing that all feeling creatures are to be respected and not caused to unnecessarily suffer, it makes perfect sense that bees should be included. By avoiding honey, a Vegan can insure that they are not participating in an activity that would cause these animals any harm.