Hive Mind: A Complete Guide to Keeping Bees in Minecraft

Bees were added to Minecraft in the 1.15 update (Buzzy Bees) and have become a valuable and adorable addition to the game. They provide honey, honeycomb, and can even help pollinate your crops. Keeping bees in Minecraft is a rewarding experience, but it requires understanding their behavior and how to manage them properly. This guide will provide you with everything you need to know to become a successful Minecraft beekeeper.

## Why Keep Bees in Minecraft?

Before diving into the how-to, let’s discuss why you should consider keeping bees in Minecraft:

* **Honey and Honeycomb:** Bees produce honey, which can be eaten to restore hunger and saturation. Honey can also be crafted into sugar, honey blocks, and honey bottles (which cure poison effects). Honeycomb is used to craft beehives and decorative honeycomb blocks.
* **Pollination:** Bees pollinate crops, speeding up their growth. They can significantly increase the efficiency of your farms.
* **Wax:** Honeycomb is the source of wax in the newest Minecraft update (1.20.5), which is used for crafting waxed copper blocks, preventing them from oxidizing. Waxed copper can be used in a variety of decorative and functional builds.
* **Automation:** With the right setup, honey and honeycomb production can be automated using hoppers and dispensers.
* **Aesthetic Appeal:** Let’s be honest, bees are just cute! Adding beehives and watching them buzz around your base adds a touch of life and charm.

## Finding Bees and Bee Nests

Your beekeeping journey starts with finding bees. Bees spawn naturally in the following biomes:

* **Plains:** This is one of the most common biomes to find bee nests.
* **Flower Forests:** As the name suggests, these biomes are teeming with flowers and bees.
* **Forests:** Bee nests can also spawn in regular forests, although less frequently than in plains and flower forests.
* **Birch Forests:** Similar to regular forests, birch forests can also have bee nests.

Bee nests are generated naturally attached to oak or birch trees. Keep an eye out for trees with brown, wooden boxes hanging from their branches. You’ll likely hear the buzzing of the bees before you see the nest. There can be one to three bees living inside a nest. Once you find a nest, you need to carefully extract the bees or the nest itself.

## Relocating Bees: Two Methods

There are two main methods for relocating bees:

**Method 1: Using Silk Touch**

This is the most straightforward method, but it requires a pickaxe enchanted with Silk Touch.

* **Required Items:**
* Silk Touch Pickaxe
* **Steps:**
1. **Locate a Bee Nest:** Find a bee nest with bees inside.
2. **Wait for Night or Use Smoke:** Bees become docile at night and return to their nest. Alternatively, you can place a campfire directly underneath the bee nest. The smoke calms the bees and prevents them from attacking you. Make sure the campfire is directly below the nest, and that the smoke rises up to it. If the campfire is too far away, it won’t affect the bees.
3. **Mine the Nest with Silk Touch:** Using your Silk Touch pickaxe, mine the bee nest. The nest and all the bees inside will be preserved.
4. **Place the Nest:** Carry the nest to your desired location and place it. The bees will emerge from the nest and begin exploring their new surroundings. Make sure there are flowers nearby for them to pollinate.

**Method 2: Using Leads**

This method is more time-consuming, but it doesn’t require Silk Touch.

* **Required Items:**
* Leads
* Flowers (any type)
* **Steps:**
1. **Craft Leads:** You will need leads to guide the bees. Craft leads using string and slimeballs.
2. **Lure the Bees with Flowers:** Hold a flower in your hand. Bees are attracted to flowers and will follow you if you hold one.
3. **Attach Leads:** Once a bee is close enough, use a lead on it. The bee will now be tethered to the lead.
4. **Lead the Bees:** Carefully lead the bee to your desired location. This can be a slow process, as bees don’t move very quickly. Be patient and avoid obstacles.
5. **Release the Bees:** Once you reach your destination, break the lead to release the bee. Repeat steps 2-5 for each bee you want to relocate. You will need to craft a new nest or beehive for them.

*Important Note:* This method only moves individual bees, not the nest. You will need to provide a new home for them in the form of a crafted beehive.

## Crafting Beehives

Beehives are artificial homes for bees. They can be crafted using the following recipe:

* **Ingredients:**
* 3 Honeycomb
* 6 Planks (any type)
* **Crafting Table:** Place the planks in the top and bottom rows, and the honeycomb in the middle row. This will create a beehive.

## Setting Up Your Bee Farm

Now that you have bees and beehives, it’s time to set up your bee farm. Here’s what you need to consider:

* **Location:** Choose a suitable location for your bee farm. It should be near your base and have plenty of space for flowers and crops. A sunny location is ideal.
* **Flowers:** Bees need flowers to pollinate. Plant a variety of flowers around your beehives. Different types of flowers will attract bees and keep them happy. Some popular choices include poppies, dandelions, and blue orchids. Ensure a constant supply of flowers by planting and replanting them as needed.
* **Crops:** If you want to use bees to pollinate your crops, place your beehives near your farms. The bees will fly around and pollinate the crops, speeding up their growth.
* **Water:** Bees need water to survive. Place a water source near your beehives, such as a small pond or a water trough. Alternatively, bees can get water from rain.
* **Protection:** Protect your bees from hostile mobs. Build a fence around your bee farm to keep out zombies, skeletons, and other creatures. You can also use lighting to prevent mobs from spawning near your bees.
* **Campfires:** As previously mentioned, campfires are essential for calming bees when harvesting honey or honeycomb. Place a campfire directly underneath your beehives to prevent the bees from attacking you.

## Harvesting Honey and Honeycomb

Bees will fill their nests and beehives with honey over time. You can harvest honey and honeycomb when the nest or beehive is full. Here’s how:

* **Required Items:**
* Shears (for honeycomb)
* Glass Bottles (for honey)
* Campfire
* **Steps:**
1. **Wait for Honey Level 5:** A beehive or bee nest must be at honey level 5 to harvest. You can visually check the honey level by looking at the texture of the hive/nest. It will appear to be dripping with honey when it’s full.
2. **Place a Campfire:** Place a campfire directly underneath the beehive or bee nest to calm the bees. This is crucial to avoid being stung.
3. **Harvest Honeycomb:** Use shears on the beehive or bee nest to harvest honeycomb. You will get 3 honeycomb per harvest.
4. **Harvest Honey:** Use glass bottles on the beehive or bee nest to harvest honey. You will get one honey bottle per harvest.

**Important Considerations:**

*Stings:* Bees will sting you if they feel threatened. When a bee stings you, it will lose its stinger and die shortly after. Each sting inflicts the poison effect, which can be dangerous if not treated quickly. Wearing armor will reduce the damage you take from bee stings. Using a campfire will prevent bees from stinging you.

*Honey Level:* Bees must fully populate a nest/hive before honey or honeycomb can be harvested. A visual indicator shows honey gradually filling up the comb section of the hive/nest texture. The more honey, the darker and more glistening the comb appears.

*Automation:* Honey farms can be automated to collect resources without player interaction.

## Automating Honey and Honeycomb Production

One of the most rewarding aspects of beekeeping in Minecraft is the ability to automate honey and honeycomb production. Here’s how you can set up an automated bee farm:

* **Basic Automated Setup:**
1. **Build a Platform:** Create a platform to house your beehives. Ensure there’s enough space for the hives, hoppers, and dispensers.
2. **Place Beehives:** Place your beehives on the platform. Leave space underneath each beehive for hoppers.
3. **Place Hoppers:** Place hoppers underneath each beehive. The hoppers will collect the honey and honeycomb.
4. **Connect to Chests:** Connect the hoppers to chests. The honey and honeycomb will be automatically transferred to the chests.
5. **Place Dispensers:** Place dispensers facing the front of each beehive.
6. **Fill Dispensers:** Place either glass bottles (for honey) or shears (for honeycomb) in the dispensers.
7. **Set up a Redstone Clock:** Create a redstone clock to activate the dispensers. A simple observer-based clock or a more complex one using comparators will work. The clock will send a pulse to the dispensers, causing them to use the glass bottles or shears on the beehives.
8. **Add Campfires:** Place campfires underneath the beehives to prevent the bees from stinging the dispensers.

* **Advanced Automation Tips:**
* **Observer Blocks:** Use observer blocks to detect when a beehive is full. When the observer detects a change in the beehive’s honey level, it will send a signal to the dispenser, triggering the harvest.
* **Item Sorting:** Use item sorters to separate honey and honeycomb into different chests. This will keep your storage organized.
* **Multiple Layers:** Build multiple layers of beehives to maximize production. Use hoppers to transport the honey and honeycomb from the upper layers to the chests below.
* **Chunk Loading:** Ensure your bee farm is in a chunk that is always loaded. This will prevent the farm from stopping when you are not nearby.

## Additional Tips and Tricks

Here are some additional tips and tricks to help you become a master beekeeper in Minecraft:

* **Bee Nests vs. Beehives:** Bee nests are naturally generated structures, while beehives are crafted by players. Bee nests are generally more difficult to find, but they can be relocated using Silk Touch. Beehives are easier to obtain and can be crafted in large quantities.
* **Flower Diversity:** Plant a variety of flowers around your bee farm. Different types of flowers will attract bees and keep them happy. Experiment with different flower combinations to find the optimal setup.
* **Nighttime Protection:** Bees return to their nests and beehives at night. Make sure your bee farm is well-lit to prevent hostile mobs from spawning near the hives.
* **Bee Health:** Keep your bees healthy by providing them with plenty of flowers, water, and protection from hostile mobs. A healthy bee colony will produce more honey and honeycomb.
* **Breeding Bees:** You cannot directly breed bees, but you can increase their population by providing them with a suitable environment. Bees will naturally reproduce if they have enough flowers and space.
* **Decoration:** Use honeycomb blocks to decorate your bee farm. Honeycomb blocks are a stylish and thematic way to enhance the look of your bee farm.
* **Observation:** Watch your bees and observe their behavior. Pay attention to which flowers they prefer, how quickly they fill their hives, and how they react to different environments. The more you understand your bees, the better you will be at managing them.

## Troubleshooting Common Issues

* **Bees Not Pollinating:** If your bees are not pollinating your crops, make sure they have access to flowers. Bees need to visit flowers before they can pollinate crops. Also, ensure that the bees are not obstructed by blocks or other obstacles.
* **Bees Not Producing Honey:** If your bees are not producing honey, make sure they have access to flowers and water. Bees need these resources to produce honey. Also, ensure that the bees are not being attacked by hostile mobs.
* **Bees Disappearing:** Bees can sometimes disappear due to glitches or chunk loading issues. To prevent this, ensure your bee farm is in a chunk that is always loaded. You can also use name tags to prevent bees from despawning.
* **Bee Stings:** If you get stung by a bee, drink a bucket of milk to remove the poison effect. Alternatively, you can use a potion of healing to counteract the damage.

## Conclusion

Keeping bees in Minecraft is a rewarding and enjoyable experience. By following the tips and techniques outlined in this guide, you can create a thriving bee farm that produces honey, honeycomb, and pollinates your crops. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced Minecraft player, beekeeping is a valuable skill that can enhance your gameplay. So, grab your shears, bottles, and campfires, and get ready to become a Minecraft beekeeping master! Happy beekeeping!