Film Spotlight: More Than Honey (documentary)


I've shut out documentaries for most of my life. While I appreciated their information, I didn't think they were entertaining enough to watch in my free time. I was wrong! I've recently been obsessed with Netflix's selection of documentaries.

In this post, I spotlight my most recent watch - More Than Honey.


"If bees were to disappear from the globe, mankind would only have four years left to live." -Albert Einstein


("Teddy Bear Bees" are the cutest thing ever)



My interest in bees first began when I took a class on insects, which made me realize how misunderstood and under-loved insects are. It amazed me how complex the bee-life is and how less dangerous bees are than we are led to believe.






In fact, as pollinators, they are responsible for a large part of our produce. I heard similar facts to "Bees are responsible for 1/3 of our food" in my class, but it hit me on a deeper level after getting to know bees better through this documentary.


I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FILM:
- it's beautifully shot, which is important when trying to capture an organism so small
- it explores bee life on a wide scope, ranging across continents, and showing one region where people must make do without bees
- it gives insight into commercial vs. traditional beekeeping methods



Commercial Treatment of Bees


Basically bees are at the service of evil communists, just as all factory farmed animals are.

The film shows bees being loaded into trucks to go across the country pollinating at the will of their human owners. Their colonies are manipulated into creating more bees, amongst other things, to reach quotas. As a result of human disruption, their immune systems are being weakened, which is creating a long-lasting impact.

It seems so contradictory that they are traded as commodities and then used and discarded, as if they're worthless. After the pollinating work was done, the farm sprayed chemicals which killed the bees. The poor bee fell instantaneously off the flower to its death :'(

All of this is especially disturbing considering how dependent we are on bees for pollination and for our food. Even vegetarians are dependent on the work of bees. Is there less attention to bees due to their size? Maybe it's the stigma around insects that they are disgusting, worthless, and don't think or feel? Entire colonies often don't survive the trips they are forced to undergo, but if we imagined it as truckfulls of another animal dying would that visual be more disturbing?



Photo: newsnish.com


Is your beauty routine disrupting the life of bees?

Honey masks are super popular in the green beauty world and honey is also prevalent in store-bought skincare. My current body scrub has honey, so I won't be re-purchasing that. I'm also going to avoid buying any other beauty products with honey or beeswax because it contributes to this factory farming frenzy, which treats animals like worthless slaves.

We owe our livelihoods to bees. Not everyone in the world is vegan, so I know that the "animals should be treated fairly" mindset isn't for everyone. I, myself, still use dairy products which is arguably just as bad as using honey, but it's all about doing what you can to reduce harm and changing the mentality you have towards other animals.


Ethical honey?

I'm going to look for other options, whether that be honey alternatives or more ethical honey.
Is free-range honey a thing?

Unfortunately, I've been having difficulty finding information on companies' beekeeping practices. For now, I'll just have to assume the worst. Local honey is probably the lesser evil, but that isn't easily accessible and also doesn't solve the problem of products w/ honey. I'm sure beauty brands are more concerned with making you look good than in bee welfare.

There doesn't seem to be a viable middle-ground for using honey's properties at a minimal level of disruption to the bees. It seems like you either need to be vegan on this topic or be an ignorant, greedy capitalist.


The next time you use honey, or eat any produce, 
appreciate what the bees have bestowed upon you.






More Than Honey is on Netflix. For more info, here's the film's official site.

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