Set up a hive
Natural hives occur beside woodland trunks in newer worlds. Craft one with eight planks around a central honeycomb, then place near flowers and suitable mature crop/fruit plants in a loaded area. The simulation registers it and can establish a small associated bee group, subject to local population budgets.
Production and harvest
By day bees seek local forage, linger to feed, then return home. At night they return to their hive. A returning fed bee adds one nectar delivery; five deliveries create a honey store, up to eight stores per hive.
Right-click a ready hive to spend one honey store and receive two honeycomb. An unready hive tells you it needs flowering plants and active bees. Honeycomb makes additional hives or a honey jar, using honeycomb above glass in the building grid. The jar is edible.
Troubleshooting
- Keep hive and bees in the active loaded area for forage/return cycles.
- Place flowers close by, with room for the bees to reach them.
- Wait through daylight; night sends bees home.
- Keep bees alive. A heavily crowded creature area can hit local spawning budgets.
- Protect hives from hungry bears, which can climb bark and consume honey. A successful bear raid can remove the hive.
Defensive bees
Bees defend themselves and disturbed hives. Attacking a bee provokes nearby hive-associated bees. Angry bees sting at close range and damage themselves during the attack. Use the intended right-click harvest instead of breaking a hive or striking its inhabitants. No smoke-based hive calming procedure is established by the inspected implementation.