I want to be a vegan

Clawsy and Hikky, I think your debate may be clarified with FACTROY FARMING of bee products.
Madhava is OK in its practices, as are many farmer's market and Mexican import honeys.
killing a queen would cause a swarm=bad thing.
some bees are crushed in comb removal...BUT end of season also sees many bees die from cold (esp here in CO)
there are better sweetners, but honey isn't worth a war over but we do anyway. kinda like abortion.
against it? don't have one.

 

ain't hijacking lovely?
How's the veggie odessy going?

 

but clawsy, not everyone will follow party line.
lots of folks are stumbling through and working it out as they go.

bees-crushed/ die of cold:
sort of makes it a wash, and up to the individual's choice.
Madhava, BTW, is a coop in Colorado that markets honey in bulk and packaged. I use their aguave nectar.

I did scan the Satya article. It is ONE writers view (and we know writers never have an opinion ;P ) of commercial circumstances, as this comment FROM THE SITE says:
<i>Perhaps a little myth-busting will help to explain. Note: not all honeys are created equal, therefore the following observations do not apply to some of the more carefully manufactured products, but unfortunately they apply to most brands. </i>
what this says to me is know your source.
i know a few beekeepers. they hire out for pollination, and harvest about half the honey and take out diseased/poisoned (pesticides/ herbicides) combs in the cold when the bees are less likely to be squashed.
She replaces what she takes with a glucose solution, in case there is not enough honey to see the hive through, though she says most of it, and a good amount of the honey is there when she moves the colony.

I'd think smaller-scale companies would be worth trading with. I think that's generally true, in that you can find out more about how they operate be it soap, dog biscuits or honey.
again this is hardly worth a war within the community... unless you enjoy veggier than thou tirades, which after 23 years of vegdom, I find tiring and unproductive. sure, they used to be fun, but the talking points wear thin fast.

If you don't want to use honey, don't have it in your house. I applaud your decision to take a stand. Others make other stands, like the leather/ wool/ silk/ eggs disconnect.

Personally, honey better than burning cane fields every year and aguave is hard to find. its OK, but not preferred, in my home. I'd never force it on a guest.

 

yes.