Avocados and almonds hurt bees too

“You won’t eat honey, but you’re happy to eat avocados and almonds that are pollinated by bees? Hypocrite much?”

I just joined a vegan debate WhatsApp group and saw that there are still debates going on about whether eating avocados and almonds is hypocritical for vegans. Let’s see where the logic takes me for this one.

Californication

Each acre of Californian almonds, on average, requires two honeybee colonies for pollination, so California’s 1.4 million acres of almonds need more than 2 million beehives. Most of those colonies aren’t local, so they’re brought in from other states.

The journey is undeniably stressful for the bees and bringing all these bees together increases the risk of exposure to harmful parasites (Varroa mites), pesticides, and diseases. In 2025, commercial beekeepers reported losing an average of 62% of their colonies (Varroa mites and the viruses they spread look to be a major factor, made worse by packing millions of stressed colonies together for migratory pollination).

It’s clear that in the US, bees are being exploited on a huge scale to feed ever-rising demands.

“In Spain, crops are more respectful of bees and the biodiversity of the environment, given the variety of crops that coexist combined with large areas of forest” - Spanish Almond Board-Almendrave (SAB-Almendrave)

Pass the Spanish almonds then? Maybe, though that quote is from the Spanish almond industry, so take it with a pinch of salt.

There are also self-pollinating almond varieties that can produce a harvest without insect pollination, which is a step in the right direction.

If I really want to have almond milk but be as ethical as possible, the IFIS recommend looking for milk with a bee-friendly certification or sourcing from regions where bees are not exploited on a large scale.

Free Shavacado

Avocados, like almonds, benefit from bee pollination, and again California is a major producer. Some of the same issues exist here, though nowhere near the scale of the almond industry.

Most avocados sold in the UK come from places like Peru, Chile, Spain and South Africa, and it is possible to source avocados from regions where they don’t rely on migratory bee pollination. It’s really location specific.

In a nutshell

Some other points about almonds and avocados are covered in other articles, such as:

• The water usage of almonds
• The food miles of foods including avocados and almonds
• Can we eat honey then?

To sum up the above, yes almond milk does use more water than other plant-based milks, but it’s still far less resource-intensive than dairy milk. Yes, food miles add to the environmental impact, but not nearly as much as the production of animal-based foods. No, honey is made by the bees, for the bees and is easily avoidable for humans!

So compared to animal-based foods, almonds and avocados are still relatively low-impact choices. It’s worth noting that the scale of harm is very different. For example, we are not breeding, mutilating and slaughtering bees for almond or avocado production. Of course, we need to be considerate of the bees, but the ethical stakes are not the same as with animal farming.

Avoid at all costs?

Frankly, it’s not possible to avoid all harm to animals while just existing. But veganism isn’t about being perfect, it’s about minimising harm as far as is possible and practicable. I’m not required to live a pure life. Not being able to be perfect doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try to do better (as practical and possible as I can).

Veganism “shouldn’t be about adhering to rigid dogma for dogma’s sake but rather about making choices that bring about positive change. Ideally, the use of products that involve harming animals should be avoided, but it’s impossible to be 100 percent ‘pure.’” - PETA

Oh nuts!

Let’s be real here because this isn’t just a vegan problem. Migratory bees pollinate apples, cherries, blueberries and plenty of other crops that we all eat. Eating meat doesn’t get us out of the pollination system. The only question is how to make it less harmful.

If we’re worried about bees, it’s worth remembering that livestock takes up nearly 80% of global agricultural land. Habitat loss and pesticides are among the biggest threats to wild pollinators, so eating fewer animals frees up land that could go back to wildflowers and wild bees.

And even if every vegan were a massive hypocrite about almonds, that wouldn’t make eating meat any more ethical. That’s a bit of whataboutism.

Personally, I’ll just keep trying my best, and make an effort to pick soy milk over almond milk and not get avocado on toast at every brunch spot. But if someone makes me an avocado bhorta or almond cake, I won’t turn it down. I’m only human after all.