While Minecraft's Bees were widely received as being adorable, but like their real-life counterparts, the blocky Minecraft insects are an incredibly important part of the virtual ecosystem. Bees can create useful products such as Honeycomb, which is an integral part to a variety of craftable items.
But Honeycomb in Minecraft can be a difficult, and potentially dangerous, resource to harvest. Here's where to find Honeycomb, tips for harvesting it, and different kinds of uses.
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Honeycomb can initially be obtained by a player via Beehives, which are is the aforementioned "difficult" part of the process. Beehives are very rare, and only generate in a select few Biomes-- namely, the only ones that contain Oak and Birch Trees. Here's each Biome that fits the bill, and the percentage chance that a Beehive will spawn on either tree.
- Plains- 5%
- Flower Forest- 2%
- Any Other Variety of Forest- 0.2%
To further skew the chances of finding a viable Beehive, it must be at Level 5, which essentially means that Bees have entered it several times. Below is a picture of a Beehive in Minecraft that is ready for harvesting.
A Beehive that is ready to harvest will have Honey particles dripping from the bottom. Certain textures on the block will also be noticeably filled with the golden liquid.
If a Beehive has reached the requisite level, players might be tempted to break it, as that's the typical method for extracting a block's specific resource. However, simply breaking the Beehive will yield nothing but agitated Bees that will attack a player.
Instead, players must use Shears to ensure that the Beehive yields three Honeycomb. Doing this will still anger the Bees and cause them to aggro onto the player. To avoid this, placing a lit campfire, or lighting the block below the Beehive on fire, will prevent the Minecraft mobs from leaving the hive.
Alternatively, and perhaps more efficiently, a player can break the block with an Axe that has the Silk Touch enchantment, which will preserve the block when it is broken. The Bees will be kept inside, and the appropriate harvesting level will remain, which means that it can be moved closer to a player's base. Bees will continue to pollinate the hive, meaning that players will no longer have to embark on a journey to locate a Beehive.
The progression of nature truly is a circle, as Honeycomb is one of the primary ingredients in crafting a Beehive. Six Wooden Planks of any variety and three Honeycomb are required for the recipe. Simply place the Honeycomb in the middle row of the Crafting Table's interface and flank it on both sides with the planks. Crafted Beehives act in the same way as those found in nature. Bees will enter the hive at night, while it's raining, or after pollinating flowers.
Honeycomb is also a primary ingredient in several cosmetic items like the Honeycomb Block and the Candle, which can be used as a way of seeing in Minecraft. Honeycomb can also be added to different blocks to give them a new look.
Minecraft is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.