The fan-favorite farming simulation game, Stardew Valley offers players a world of endless possibilities. The wide range of different tools and equipment allows players to fully immerse themselves in the farming world. Among the many aspects of farm life in Stardew Valley, Bee Houses introduce a delightful twist by allowing players to venture into the world of beekeeping.
Bee Houses are a type of Artisan Equipment in Stardew Valley that players can use to produce a steady flow of Honey. These quaint little hives can result in a thriving honey business on the farm, which can ultimately generate profitable revenue for the players.
How to Get a Bee House
Players can get their hands on a Bee House in Stardew Valley through two different methods. The first method involves the Fall Crops Bundle available in the Pantry of the restored Community Center. Players can only complete the Fall Crops bundle during the Fall, as it requires a bunch of crops that can only grow during this season. Upon successfully collecting the required crops, players are rewarded with one Bee House.
The other way for players to get Bee Houses on their farm is by crafting them. Players can get access to the crafting recipe for Bee Houses after leveling up to Farming Level 3. The simple and affordable recipe calls for 40 Wood, 8 Coal, 1 Iron Bar, and 1 Maple Syrup. The recipe can be crafted multiple times, allowing players to build and place as many Bee Houses on their farms as they want.
Bee Houses can also be placed outside the farm, on the Beach, and in the Desert as long as they don’t fall into any villager paths. These Bee Houses are capable of producing only Wild Honey and will be destroyed if a villager walks through them.
Bee Houses can also be placed indoors (e.g. in the Greenhouse ), but they are not capable of producing honey.
How to Use Bee Houses for Maximum Profits
Bee Houses are primarily used to make Honey, which players can sell to make some profits in the game. Players can build a Bee House on their farm to produce Honey during any season except Winter. Every four nights, delicious Honey is produced and ready for harvest from the Bee House.
Two types of Honey can be produced using a Bee House: Wild Honey and Flower Honey. Wild Honey is available in all seasons, except Winter, and has a base sell price of 100 g.
Players can get Wild Honey all year round, including Winter, by planting flowers near Bee Houses on Ginger Island.
Flower Honey can be obtained by positioning a mature and unharvested flower within a 5-tile radius of a Bee House. However, flowers that are commonly foraged, such as Crocus, Sweet peas, Dandelions, and Daffodils will not affect the honey produced, as they are labeled as ‘forage’ instead of flowers in the game.
Flower Honey always sells for a higher price than flowerless Wild Honey. The availability and sale prices of Flower Honey depend on the type of flower used, as shown in the table below.
| Item Name | Season | Flower | Base Sell Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flower Honey | Spring | Tulip | 160 g |
| Blue Jazz | 200 g | ||
| Summer | Sunflower | 260 g | |
| Summer Spangle | 280 g | ||
| Poppy | 380 g | ||
| Fall | Sunflower | 260 g | |
| Fairy Rose | 680 g |
Flowers cultivated in Garden Pots will not produce Flower Honey when placed next to Bee Houses.
Fairy Rose Honey has the highest base sell price of 680 g. Players have devised techniques to place up to 44 Bee Houses around a single Fairy Rose flower and sprinkler setup, resulting in a maximum yield of Fairy Rose Honey worth 29,920 gold every four days with minimal effort.
Even though different types of flowers can be placed around a single Bee House, the flower closest to the Bee House will take priority each time. This will result in players making only one type of flower Honey. However, if all the flowers are placed at an equal distance, the flower at the horizontal left of the Bee House will be the priority, followed by the next clockwise flower.
Tips for Harvesting Honey from Bee Houses
Before collecting honey from Bee Houses, there are a few crucial things that players need to keep in mind. The type of honey is determined the moment it is harvested from the Bee House.
- If a Bee House has produced "flower honey," but players harvest the flower before collecting the honey, it will automatically turn into plain "wild honey."
- If a Bee House has produced flowerless "wild honey," but players harvest it after a flower has bloomed close to the Bee House, the harvested honey will become "flower honey."
- When a Bee House is removed from the farm using any tools while it has ‘flower honey’ ready for harvest, the honey will be placed in the player's inventory as "wild honey."
- A Bee House placed on the farm exactly on Winter 28 will produce honey by Spring 4. This allows players one extra harvest.
Stardew Valley is available now for Android, iOS, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
