The ethical dilemma: Are bees killed for avocados?

October 4, 2025 •

4 min read

An estimated 1.5 million honeybee colonies are transported to California each year to pollinate crops, including avocados. This large-scale commercial practice, known as migratory beekeeping, has raised serious ethical questions, with many asking: are bees killed for avocados?.

Quick Summary

Migratory beekeeping is essential for large-scale avocado farming, but it places significant stress on bee colonies through long-distance transport, exposure to pesticides, and poor diet, which can lead to colony collapse and death. Sustainable alternatives and conscious consumer choices can help mitigate this environmental impact.

Key Points

Migratory beekeeping is stressful for bees: Transporting hives long distances for pollination, including for avocados, causes significant stress, disease spread, and mortality.
Pesticides are a major threat: Bees pollinating avocados can be exposed to harmful pesticides used in and around orchards, which can poison entire colonies.
Poor nutrition weakens bees: The monoculture diet in large-scale farms lacks the diverse nutrients bees need, leaving them vulnerable to disease and stress.
Consumers can choose sustainably: Supporting local, organic, and bee-friendly farming practices reduces reliance on intensive, large-scale migratory pollination.
Harm is often indirect, not intentional: While farmers and beekeepers don't intentionally kill bees, the high-pressure, commercial system creates conditions that increase bee mortality.
Avocado pollination can be done sustainably: Research shows that native pollinators can be effective for avocado crops, especially in smaller, diversified farms.

The necessity of bees for avocado pollination

Avocados are a challenging crop to pollinate due to their unique flowering cycle, which evolved to prevent self-fertilization. On a single tree, flowers open first in a female stage, then close and reopen the next day in a male stage. To ensure successful cross-pollination and a high fruit yield, farmers bring in commercial pollinators, primarily honeybees, to facilitate the transfer of pollen between trees of different varieties. These bees are managed in massive commercial operations and are transported across the country to pollinate various crops throughout the year.

The process of migratory beekeeping

In the United States, commercial beekeeping is a service-based industry where beekeepers rent out their hives to farmers. A typical migration route for commercial bee colonies might involve moving them from their overwintering locations to California for almond pollination, and then on to other states for pollinating cherries, avocados, and other crops.

This migratory lifestyle is far from natural for honeybees and exposes them to a cascade of stressors:

Transportation: Loading, trucking, and unloading millions of bees for long distances cause significant stress, heat, and physical trauma, leading to weakened colonies and potential losses.
Monoculture diet: During their time in large orchards, bees feed exclusively on a single crop, like avocados, which offers a nutritionally poor and less diverse diet compared to natural foraging. Beekeepers sometimes supplement this with artificial sugar water, which lacks the essential nutrients found in pollen and nectar.
Overcrowding: The sheer concentration of hives from different apiaries in one location increases competition for resources and facilitates the rapid spread of diseases and parasites.
Pesticide exposure: Bees face constant exposure to pesticides, including insecticides and fungicides, sprayed on crops and surrounding areas. A beekeeper in Colombia reported losing 80 million bees after exposure to pesticides used on avocado plantations. This exposure weakens bees, impairs their neurological functions, and can lead to immediate or delayed mortality.

Are bees killed for avocados? The ethical controversy

So, while bees aren't deliberately killed during avocado production, the commercial agricultural model, with its reliance on migratory beekeeping and heavy pesticide use, creates conditions that are highly detrimental to their health and survival. The resulting stress and exposure to toxins do lead to a measurable increase in bee mortality.

This ethical gray area sparked public debate, especially within vegan circles, following media claims that avocados are not vegan because of bee exploitation. While the argument is complex, it highlights a crucial point: industrial agriculture, whether for plant or animal products, often has hidden costs to animal welfare and the environment.

Ethical and sustainable alternatives for consumers

For those concerned about bee health, there are proactive steps to take beyond just dietary choices. It requires supporting more sustainable and bee-friendly farming practices. Here are some actions:

Seek out locally grown produce: Buying from local farmers markets or community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs can help support smaller-scale, more sustainable farms that rely on local pollinators rather than migratory hives.
Choose organic: Organic farming standards often prohibit or severely restrict the use of chemical pesticides that are harmful to bees. Look for certified organic avocados and other produce.
Prioritize produce with lower pollination needs: While many crops rely on bees, their impact varies. Avocado pollination is a particularly intensive process. Researching the pollination practices for the foods you consume is an empowering step.
Support native pollinator habitats: Plant native, pollinator-friendly flowers, shrubs, and trees in your garden or community spaces. This provides a natural, diverse food source and habitat for local bee populations, reducing the reliance on migratory bees.

Impact of commercial vs. sustainable practices on bees


Feature	Conventional Avocado Farming	Sustainable Avocado Farming
Pollination Method	Primarily relies on migratory honeybee colonies.	Encourages native pollinators and wild bee populations.
Bee Stress	High, due to frequent transportation, overcrowding, and poor nutritional diversity.	Minimal, as bees are not forcibly transported and have access to diverse forage.
Pesticide Use	Higher potential for exposure to harmful chemical pesticides, including insecticides and fungicides.	Lower or no use of harmful chemical pesticides; may use integrated pest management (IPM) techniques.
Food Source	Limited diversity from a single crop, sometimes supplemented with sugar water.	Diverse forage provided by native plants and cover crops planted around orchards.
Ecosystem Impact	Simplification of the landscape (monoculture) can harm local biodiversity.	Supports local ecosystems and biodiversity, which contributes to overall bee health.

Conclusion: Making informed choices for a healthier planet

The question, are bees killed for avocados?, opens a window into the broader ethical and environmental concerns of modern agriculture. While no single avocado directly causes the death of a bee, the industrial-scale farming practices that enable mass production contribute to bee stress and mortality through migratory beekeeping and pesticide use. By prioritizing sustainable, local, and organic options, consumers can actively participate in a food system that better supports pollinator health. This shift in consumption habits is a powerful way to vote for practices that prioritize ecological balance and the well-being of these vital creatures. Ultimately, being a conscious consumer is about making informed choices that align with a nutrition diet that is not only healthy for you but also for the planet and all its inhabitants, great and small. For more information on bee-friendly gardening, consider exploring resources from organizations like the Xerces Society. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

Frequently Asked Questions

Bees are used because avocado flowers have a unique pollination cycle. They are functionally female one day and male the next, requiring a vector like a bee to transfer pollen between different trees and varieties for a higher yield.

Migratory beekeeping is the practice of transporting commercial beehives across different states or countries to pollinate various crops as they come into bloom, with California's almond and avocado crops being major stops.

Pesticides used on and near avocado farms, including insecticides and fungicides, can harm or kill bees directly. Foraging bees can also carry contaminated pollen back to the hive, causing widespread death.

Yes, sustainable farming practices that encourage native pollinators and wild bee populations can reduce or eliminate the need for migratory beekeeping. Mexico and Cuba, for instance, have higher abundances of wild pollinators for their avocado crops.

The debate is complex. The harm to bees comes from the industrial agricultural system, which affects the entire food chain, including crops for livestock feed. A vegan's choice to eat avocados is still considered a more sustainable option than a diet including animal products, which has a larger impact on pollinators.

You can support sustainable practices by buying locally grown or organic avocados, which are less likely to rely on migratory beekeeping and harmful pesticides. Planting native flowers can also provide natural forage for local pollinators.

No. Bees face multiple threats, including climate change, habitat loss, and disease. However, migratory beekeeping intensifies these issues by causing stress, spreading disease, and exposing bees to pesticides.