By: Peter Keilty
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2020 issue of BEEKeeping Your First Three Years
We live in an age where we are held to account for our actions like never before. Behaviors that prior generations took for granted are scrutinized and, in some cases, shamed by certain advocacy groups and in the media. I will admit that I feel a twinge of guilt when I throw out that styrofoam cup, or jump on a gas-guzzling airplane to a faraway destination. What I didn’t anticipate, however, is the rising tide of literature published recently, decrying the beekeeping industry as being harmful to the environment and exploitative of animals.
It would be easy counter with something like: “With all that’s going on in the world, you’re focusing on beekeepers?!” But that would be to ignore the argument entirely. We beekeepers are curious-minded, thoughtful types, and should at the very least be aware of the different viewpoints that are out there.
The objections to beekeeping can be broken down into two distinct groups: I think of them as the “ecological” argument and the “vegan” argument. As a beekeeper and pollinator conservationist, I was already familiar with some of the arguments on the “ecological” side, the main three being: honey bees compete with native pollinators for floral resources; honey bees can be vectors of disease for native pollinators; and honey bees help invasive “weeds” to proliferate. After speaking with professors from across the country, the feedback I got was mixed, to say the least. Honey bees do compete for resources, they all agreed, but whether this was to the detriment of native pollinators was hotly debated. The data on disease transmission was even more opaque. One professor was even of the strong view that honey bees benefit native bees: since they can pollinate more flowers due to their large numbers, flowers will set more seeds, meaning more flowers next year for all pollinators to benefit from.
I would go further, and make the case that honey bees’ native cousins have enjoyed protection like never before, because of the celebrity factor the honey bee enjoys with the public. Colony Collapse Disorder was a wake-up call for the entire world, and the focus on banning pesticides (mainly to aid the honey bee) has had a tremendous knock-on effect for all our native pollinators. It can be a hard sell getting people to care about the lesser-known species, but almost everyone loves and values the honey bee, and it is bringing the rest of our pollinators along for the ride.
It is only recently that I have become familiar with the “vegan” point of view, and the arguments they present. Its approach is more akin to animal liberation, which places emphasis on the plight of individual animals, than conservation, which is more concerned with the survival of entire species. Beekeepers, like the bees themselves, are focused on the success and survival of the colony as a whole. You only need to witness the selflessness with which a bee races to its death by attacking an intruder to see that, to them, the colony’s survival is paramount.
So to read about the cruelty inherent in clipping a queen’s wings, using a smoker (no, I am not making this up), or replacing an aging or unhealthy queen, I must be forgiven for the briefest of eye-rolls. Who knows what awaits us around the next corner of climate change. Having a diverse gene-pool of honey bees that can weather the storms of an uncertain ecological future is vital to the security and stability of the country, and the world as a whole.
Not to mention, they would have more success trying to convince people to give up the family dog! Beekeeping is perhaps the most beloved and respected pursuit in history, and surely has the smallest footprint of the various types of agriculture. Why not work with beekeepers? After all, who loves pollinators more than us? We are uniquely positioned to assist native pollinators through the awareness we bring to the dangers of pesticides, our ability to inspire and educate the public, and the land under our control which we can, and do, improve to provide habitat for honey bees as well as native pollinators. And please don’t get me started on vegan “honey alternatives”. Agave, I love you, but mostly in the form of tequila.
But if even a small part of the ecological argument is true, should we not do everything in our power to make our industry as beneficial to the environment as possible, and mitigate any further negative perceptions? I have long thought that we beekeepers should make an effort to plant as much native forage as we can; not only would our honey yields increase, but it would benefit other pollinators who will not only be able to feed on the pollen and nectar, but in many cases the plants will act as larval hosts, such as milkweeds for monarchs. Keeping hives as hygienic as possible, something we already strive for I am sure, would further assuage doubts of negative effects on the wider animal community. Moreover, we should use our influence to encourage the public to use the land they control to benefit pollinators too. Imagine a million acres of chemically-treated ecological desert (or “lawn” as some call it) transformed into thriving pollinator habitat, teeming with life. So if you don’t relish the idea of living in a world of vegan “honey”, be mindful of the criticisms being leveled at our industry, use best practices and arm yourself with the facts. Beekeeping, done right, is a force for good.
