________________
design that standardizes the size of each hexagonal chamber. Queens are imprisoned in certain parts of the hive, while colonies are split to increase production and sprinkled with prophylactic antibiotics. In the meantime, keepers control the animals by pumping their hives full of smoke, which masks the scent of their alarm pheromones and keeps them from defending their homes and honey stores. And, of course, since the bees aren't making the honey for us, our removal of it from the hive could be construed as a form of theft. Real maple syrup is a good alternative. Anyone who eats honey but avoids milk is making the tacit assumption that the pain experienced by a bee counts for something less than the pain experienced by a cow which is a fallacy. A bee feels no less pain than any other animal or insect. Clearly honey is a product of himsa. You can make a difference. Of course it's not always enough to avoid eating something. Why not let companies know you're not buying their products because they have honey in them? This is a particularly urgent issue in the “health food” area since there are an increasing number of products containing honey that would otherwise be vegan. You decide; is use of honey consistent with ahimsa?
THE USE OF PROCESSED AND REFINED SUGAR Sugar and other sweeteners: do they contain animal products? The answer to this question is very complex. Carolina Pyevich provided the following clues in Vegetarian Journal, while doing an internship with the Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG). According to Pyevich, refined sugar is avoided by many vegetarians because its processing may involve a bone char filter. The activated filter decolorizes sugar to make it white through an absorption process. Bone char filter is used by some major sugar companies, but not necessarily by all. Other filters may include
An Ahimsa Crisis: You Decide
131
