Apiculture

The Beehive

Apiculture is the science (and some say art) of raising honey bees, also know as beekeeping. Bees live together in groups called colonies and make their homes in beehives. Tending a hive is not as easy as it may sound, although it can be a very rewarding experience. To start on the path of the apiculturist, all one needs is a beehive deed and an area with plenty of flowers and water. Beehive deeds can be bought from beekeeper NPCs. One can be found at the Busy Bees shop in Vesper (coordinates: (2957, 705)). You may place your beehive in your home or in your township.

The Beehive Gump

Managing and caring for the hive is done using the Beehive gump. Almost every aspect of the hive can be monitored from here. To open the beehive gump, double-click the hive.

Development Stage

In the top-center of the beehive gump, the development stage of the hive is displayed. There are three distinct stages in a beehive's development:

Colonizing: The hive sends out scouts to survey the area and find sources of flowers and water.
Brooding: Egg laying begins in full force as the hive gets ready to begin full scale production.
Producing: After a hive reaches maturity, it begins producing excess amounts of honey and wax.

Over All Health

In the bottom-center of the beehive gump, the over all health of the hive is displayed. The over all health offers an indication of the average bee's well being:

Thriving: The bees are extremely healthy. A thriving colony produces honey and wax at an increased rate.
Healthy: The bees are healthy and producing excess honey and wax.
Sickly: The bees are sickly and no longer producing excess resources.
Dying: If something isn't done quickly, bee population will begin to drop.

Status Icons

Down the left side of the beehive gump are the status icons:

Production: This button brings up the production gump where the beekeeper can harvest any beeswax or honey produced by the hive. To harvest prduce from the hive, you require a hive tool. Hive tools can be bought from beekeeper NPCs.
Infestation: This icon provides an indication of the infestation level of the hive. A red or yellow hyphen means the hive is infested by parasites or other insects. Use poison potions to kill the pests.
Disease: This icon provides an indication of the disease level of the hive. A red or yellow hyphen means the hive is currently diseased. Use cure potions to help the bees fight off the sickness.
Water: This icon provides an indication of the availability of water in the area. A red or yellow hyphen means the hive has insufficient water sources nearby. To provide water sources for the hive, either place a water trough or a pitcher of water near the hive. Be warned, water breeds disease carrying bacteria, so too much water can make a hive more susceptible to disease.
Flowers: This icon provides an indication of the availability of flowers in the area. Bees use flowers and their by-products for almost every function of the hive including building and food. A red or yellow hyphen means the bees can't find enough flowers nearby. To provide flowers for the hive, place any of the following plant types near the hive: Champion flowers, poppies, snowdrops and lilies. The plants must be fully grown. Plants that are in decorative mode also provide flowers for the hive. Be warned, too many flowers in the area can bring the bees into contact with more parasites and insects.

Note: If there are other beehives close by, the hives must compete for the resources, leading to less available resources for all hives.

Potion Icons

Down the right side of the beehive gump are the potion icons:

Cure: Cure potions can be used to combat diseases such as foulbrood and dysentery. These potions can also be used to neutralize excess poison. Only greater cure potions may be used.
Poison: Poison potions can be used to combat insects or parasites that infest the hive. Care must be used! Too many poison potions can harm the bees. Either greater poison or deadly poison potions may be used.
Strength: Strength potions can be used to build up a hive's immunity to infestation and disease. Only greater strength potions may be used.
Heal potions: Heal potions can be used to heal the bees. Only greater heal potions may be used.
Agility: Agility potions give the bees extra energy allowing them to work harder. This will boost honey and wax output as well as increase the range in which the bees can search for flowers and water. Only greater agility potions may be used.

Bee Population

Once your hive has reached the producing stage, the population of your hive may grow and will also be displayed in the beehive gump. Bee population is a rough estimate of the number of bees in a hive. A single bee hive can support up to 100 thousand bees. More bees does not always mean better - a large hive is more difficult to maintain. More water and flowers are needed in the area to support a large hive. However, an increase in population will also increase the range in which the bees can search for flowers and water. If the conditions get bad enough, a colony of bees will abscond, leaving an empty hive behind. A single bee hive can support up to 100 thousand bees.

The Growth Check

A hive's growth check is performed once aper day. The upper right hand corner of the Apiculture gump displays the result of the last growth check:

! : Not healthy;
! : Low resources;
- : Population decrease;
+ : Population growth;
+ : Stage increase/Resource production.

Hive Age

A healthy hive can live indefinitely, however, an older hive is more susceptible to infestation and disease.

Bee Swarms

Be warned, any misstep while working the hive may trigger a swarm of bees to attack you! An open flame will scatter the swarm of bees.

Beehives and Plant Growing

Producing beehives provide a growth boost to plants. Any plant within 4 tiles of an active beehive has a 15% chance to skip one growth level. The beehive bonus of 15% stacks with the fertile dirt bonus of 10%.