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[-] derpgon@programming.dev 6 points 20 hours ago

Debatable if it is considered stealing as beekeepers usually care of the bees, monitor possible diseases, and keep them from harm by providing suitable shelter.

How about we change the harvesting methods to be more bee-friendly.

[-] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 7 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

In a standard bee hive setup you don't even extract honey from for over a year. You have to ensure a population that is high and only take when there would be abundance. It would be counter productive to extract too much honey because it makes their population not grow as fast, and therefore end in lower honey production. I doubt bee farmers are trying to get less honey.

[-] derpgon@programming.dev 2 points 20 hours ago

Well, you can't have infinite growth if you can't house them. At some point, all you beehives are full so you take as much as possible without hindering the population.

[-] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 1 points 19 hours ago

If their population gets to big dont they just split essentially, the old queen and a bunch of bees "swarm" which is just them moving elsewhere, which the old hive usually just raises a new queen and keeps going.

Or are you saying they are worried to many bees will leave or they may not get a new queen in time?

[-] derpgon@programming.dev 2 points 10 hours ago

What I was talking about is taking honey from bees. You take too much some of them will die, you don't take any the population will grow. Beekeepers know how much honey to take so they won't breed too much and split (because you bees expanding and splitting doesn't benefit you).

[-] quick_snail@feddit.nl 1 points 15 hours ago

Lol wut. Most honey today means killing all the bees every season and buying a new batch from the breeders the next season.

They don't "take care" of the bees any more than a butcher "takes care" of their pigs

this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2025
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