Would a vegan kill a wasp ?

Question

Ima vegan;

It could be that humans are the pests of this world, not the wasps under your eaves!

Answer 1

vegetarian not vegan... but yes becuase a wasp sting is very dangerous for me as it is others... i don't know any animal that wouldnt' defend itself against being hurt or killed.

Answer 2

Vegans; like meat-eaters shouldn't kill anything...

Answer 3

I am a vegetarian, I do not kill any type of insect, I love and respect all animals.  

Answer 4

Your question stems from a misconception that all vegans object to killing.  I do not object to killing.  I find it distasteful, but I don't object outright.  

I would kill a wasp.  They nest under my eaves and they are pests to me.  I have wiped out entire nests of wasps.  In fact, we have to do it every summer.  If

But I don't eat them.

Answer 5

A vegan wont kill a wasp

But...a wasp could kill a vegan (if they were allergic)

I respect the fact that vegans dont want to kill anything, however if there is a wasp/bee/hornet or a big black bear ready to kill you i'd hope common sense would kick in and you would defend yourself.

Answer 6

Possibly.

Vegans should deliberately avoid causing unnecessary harm to animals, large or small. However, once an organism becomes a threat to your health or well-being, your interests are at odds.

Being vegan means, in part, attempting to peacefully coexist with animals, rather than exploiting them. But being alive means having an effect on the world. When you drive somewhere, you're killing hundreds of bugs. When our grains and vegetables are harvested, worms, rodents, and insects can all be killed.

If you find a harmless spider in your house, it's nice to gently put it outside, if you can handle that. If you find a poisonous insect and believe it's a threat to you or your family, I think it's completely appropriate to kill it.

Answer 7

NO!!! i have a friend that is a vegan and there was a huge spider in his bed and he didn't kill it but then it bit his friends neck....

Answer 8

I don't kill any bugs.

Though, I'm just a plain ol' vegetarian.  

Answer 9

Anybody, vegan or otherwise, would take what steps they needed to to deal with something that is hurting or attacking them.

Being vegan means doing all you can and all that is reasonable to minimise your personal contribution to animal suffering and exploitation.

It does NOT mean allowing yourself to be hurt or your health to suffer.

If something is attacking me or likely to injure me, be it flea, wasp, human being or lion I would take what steps I needed to to avoid it.

And yes, sometimes that could involve killing.

Answer 10

i wouldnt kill one. i would stay away from it

but thats only cuz im allergic.

Answer 11

If he stings ,you'll find out if you have it in you.

Answer 12

I think that if they were deathly allergic to them, or had some irrational fear of them, I could understand a vegan killing a wasp.

It really depends on why they are a vegan. For moral reasons or for health reasons are very different motivations.

Answer 13

... People kill bees/wasps/insects out of fear, usually.

I as a vegetarian, and before I was a vegetarian, don't have the heart to kill bugs and bees and wasps... Stay away from them, they'll stay away from you.

I don't think a vegan would intentionally kill a wasp.  Unless they were severly allergic to bee stings...

Answer 14

This question has several holes in it. First, you're assuming the 'average' vegan, if you find that, please tell me. Beyond that the situation is unclear. If I was hyper-allergic to wasp venom, and one had just landed on my trachea, yes, I probably would kill it if left with no other alternative.

However, I am quite resistant to most forms of venom/medication, while I'm not fond of the idea of a wasp's sting, I know I can survive it (excluding extraordinary circumstances). I may be willing to endure a sting to save a wasp, but if my hyper-allergic friend was about to be stung, I'd be willing to kill the wasp.

Beyond that, you're ignoring the difficulty of killing wasps, please, try and swat a wasp, I'll sit back and good heartedly laugh at your suffering before going to get my first aid kit. A sting on the hand is not quite continental. And you try spraying bug-spray a neuro-toxin around yourself in the effort to hit a small, fast moving and flying bug. The only real way to kill a wasp it to preemptively attack its nest, which most vegans wouldn't to, preferring simply to rely on the 'live and let live' method of avoidance.

What you're talking about in reference to a bear is also kinda ludicrous, unless you're heavily armed, you can't defend yourself against a bear. This time I'll watch in horror from a distance as the bear dismembers and eats you. The only way to deal with a bear is simply to coolly and calmly walk away while keeping eye contact, and if that doesn't work, rolling up into a ball and hoping the bear tires of your amusement quickly. There is no defending yourself from a bear. There is no outrunning a bear. There is simply avoiding bears, and when you come into contact with one, being as passive as possible to avoid getting it angry.

In short, not many people are willing to give their lives for the sake of an animal, whether it's rescuing a wasp from a pool, or running into a burning building to save a pet. That's not what veganism/vegetarianism is about, but the conflicts where one must choose between their own life and that of an animal are very, very rare. We should always respect the rights and behaviors of animals.