Difference between revisions of "Apiculture (beehives and beekeeping)"

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= Official Tutorial =
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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.   
−
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 (normally 1 flower and 1 water pitcher per hive). Make a note that the bees can use decorative flowers, which will be much easier on your potion supply. As long as it blooms, they can collect nectar.
 
  
−
As a side note bee hive deeds come with their own table. No need to make or buy one, just use as a regular deed, and the table is automatically placed with the hive.
+
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 flowers and water.
  
−
== Dummies Guide to Tending Bees ==
+
Much of this information is compiled and made available by Harmbringer, and many others' help. There are in-game books currently located on top of the Youth Center, which can easily be copied and kept for reference.
−
First things first, you need bee-friendly plants and water. Plants can be obtained from many player vendors and jugs of water can be bought at inns or a bakers. You need 1 plant and 1 jug of water per hive. Place down the flowers first, then the hives on top of the flowers, and finally lock the jugs of water down on top of the hives.
 
  
−
Next step is maintaining the hives. You will have to use potions on each hive every day to maintain production/proper hive health. When your hives first start out, you will ALWAYS give them 2 Strength (White) and 2 Agility (Blue) pots. This will speed up growth and help the bees grow quicker.  
+
= Setting Up Your Beehives =
 +
You'll need a couple of things when you first set up your beehives.
  
−
The amount of Cure(Orange) and Poison(Green) pots you use depend on how the hive is doing. The first day, you won't use any. The second day, you will (maybe) notice Yellow or Red Minus marks (-), next to the Orange/Green Pots in the Apiculture Gump. A Yellow - means add 1 pot, a Red - means add 2. No - means do nothing. If you accidentally add too many Poison Pots, you can counteract it with a Cure Pot.
 
  
−
Keep in mind that you can use potion kegs to maintain your hives directly, the gump will pull the potions from the kegs as you use them.
+
'''Bee-Friendly Plants''', must be one of these varieties and can be set to decorative:
 +
*Poppies, Lilies, Snowdrops, Campions
 +
::''Plants can be obtained from player vendors, or grown yourself.''
 +
'''Water''', can be present in a few different ways:
 +
*Water/Wine Pitchers, Water Troughs, Fountains
 +
::''Pitchers of water can be bought at an inn, from a baker or bartender. Water Troughs can be bought from player vendors, or crafted with carpentry.''
 +
'''Beehive Deeds'''
 +
::''Available from Beekeepers, one just north of Skara Bank, there is another west of Brit Bank''
  
−
The Health of the hive determines how many Heal (Yellow) pots you will have to use.  
+
−
Thriving = 0
+
When setting up your beehives, you can use 1 flower and 1 Pitcher if they are set up where all beehives are within three tiles of the flower and water.
−
Healthy = 1
 
−
Sickly = 2
 
−
Dying = 3
 
  
−
== Beehive stages ==
+
 
 +
Bees can be set up in such a way that you can tend up to 22 Beehives from one location, as beehives can be tended up to two tiles away from you:
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable" border="3"
 +
|+Tending 22 Beehives From 1 Tile
 +
! align="center" colspan=2 style="width:40%; background:#F87431"|'''Beehive(BH)'''
 +
! style="width: 20%; background:#616D7E" |
 +
! align="center" colspan= 2 style="width:40%"|'''Open Tile(OT)'''
 +
|-
 +
| colspan=5 style="background:black"|
 +
|-align="center" style="background:#F87431"
 +
| BH || BH || BH || BH || BH
 +
|-align="center" style="background:#F87431"
 +
| BH || BH || BH || BH || BH
 +
|-align="center"
 +
| OT || OT || <span style="color:red">'''&loz;'''</span>OT || style="background:#F87431"| BH || style="background:#F87431"| BH
 +
|-align="center" style="background:#F87431"
 +
| BH || BH || BH || BH || BH
 +
|-align="center" style="background:#F87431"
 +
| BH || BH || BH || BH || BH
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
<span style="color:red">'''&loz;'''</span> - This is where you would stand to tend the 22 beehives and set up your initial flower and water pitcher.
 +
 
 +
====Placing Beehives====
 +
*To place a beehive, double click the deed and select where you would like the beehive to be placed.
 +
::<u><span style="color:red">'''Note:'''</span></u> beehive deeds come with their own table. No need to make or buy one, just use as a regular deed, and the table is automatically placed with the hive.
 +
*Once the beehive is placed, it will do a [[Apiculture_(beehives_and_beekeeping)#Hive_growth_check | Hive Growth Check]] at the next World Save.
 +
**Be sure to have your flower and water pitcher('''F/P''') placed. If you put your beehive down close to a world save without F/P, they will sometimes go [Empty] immediately - meaning you have to remove them and place them again. Usually, the hive ends up getting sickly or dying.
 +
 
 +
====Removing Beehives====
 +
In order to remove (re-deed) a beehive, use an axe to chop down the beehive, it will go back to a deed in your pack.
 +
 
 +
If a beehive has produced resources, you will lose them when you re-deed a beehive. You'll also not be able to harvest from or interact with an [Empty] beehive, so once again the resources the hive has produced will be lost.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
= Beehive Stages =
 
There are 3 distinct stages in a beehive's development:
 
There are 3 distinct stages in a beehive's development:
  
Line 28: Line 67:
 
'''Producing''' - after a hive reaches maturity, it begins producing excess amounts of honey and wax.
 
'''Producing''' - after a hive reaches maturity, it begins producing excess amounts of honey and wax.
  
−
== Beehive health ==
+
 
 +
= Beehive Health =
 
The health of a hive is measured in two ways: overall health and bee population.
 
The health of a hive is measured in two ways: overall health and bee population.
  
Line 34: Line 74:
 
Overall health offers an indication of the average bee's well being:
 
Overall 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.
+
<span style="color:blue">'''Thriving'''</span> - the bees are extremely healthy.  A thriving colony produces honey and wax at an increased rate.
 +
 
 +
<span style="color:lime">'''Healthy'''</span> - the bees are healthy and producing excess honey and wax.
  
−
'''Healthy''' - the bees are healthy and producing excess honey and wax.
+
<span style="color:red">'''Sickly'''</span> - the bees are sickly and no longer producing excess resources.
  
−
'''Sickly''' - the bees are sickly and no longer producing excess resources.
+
<span style="color:red">'''Dying'''</span> - if something isn't done quickly, bee population will begin to drop.
  
−
'''Dying''' - if something isn't done quickly, bee population will begin to drop.
+
'''[Empty]''' - The bee population has left the hive, the hive is dead. The hive must be re-deeded, and all stockpiled resources are lost.
  
 
=== Population ===
 
=== Population ===
 
Bee population is a rough estimate of the number of bees in a hive.  More bees does not always mean better for a large hive is more difficult to maintain.  More water and flowers are needed in the area to support a large hive (the range a hive can check for flowers and water is increased as the hive gets larger).  If the conditions get bad enough, a colony of bees will abscond, leaving an empty hive behind.
 
Bee population is a rough estimate of the number of bees in a hive.  More bees does not always mean better for a large hive is more difficult to maintain.  More water and flowers are needed in the area to support a large hive (the range a hive can check for flowers and water is increased as the hive gets larger).  If the conditions get bad enough, a colony of bees will abscond, leaving an empty hive behind.
  
−
== Maintaining your hives ==
+
==== Hive Maximum Population ====
−
Like any living thing, bees are susceptible to attacks from outside forces.  Be it parasites or disease, the apiculturist has a plethora of tools at their disposal.
+
A single beehive can support up to 100 thousand ('''100k''') bees.  A thriving hive can last indefinitely; however, an older hive is more susceptible to infestation and disease.
  
−
'''Greater Cure''' potions can be used to combat diseases such as foulbrood and dysentery.  These potions can also be used to neutralize excess poison.
 
  
−
'''Greater Poison''' potions can be used to combat insects (such as the wax moth) or parasites (such as the bee louse) that infest a hive. Care must be used! Too many poison potions can harm the bees.
+
= Apiculture Gump =
 +
Managing and caring for the hive is done using the Apiculture gump. Almost every aspect of the hive can be monitored from here. Down the left side of the gump are the status icons:
  
−
'''Greater Strength''' potions can be used to build up a hive's immunity to infestation and disease.
+
'''Production''' - this button brings up the production gump where the beekeeper can harvest the goods the hive has to offer.
  
−
'''Greater Heal''' potions can be used to help heal the bees.
+
'''Infestation''' - a <span style="color:red">'''Red'''</span> or <span style="color:#ffcc33">'''Yellow '''</span> Minus here means the hive is infested by parasites or other insects.  Using poison potions will help kill the pests. If there is no minus next to the icon, it's fine.
  
−
'''Greater 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 the bees can search for flowers and water.
+
'''Disease''' - a <span style="color:red">'''Red'''</span> or <span style="color:#ffcc33">'''Yellow '''</span> Minus here means the hive is currently diseased.  Using cure potions will help the bees fight off the sickness. If there is no minus next to the icon, it's fine.
  
−
== Apiculture Gump ==
+
'''Water''' - this icon displays the availability of water in the area. Be warned, water breeds disease carrying bacteria, so too much water can make a hive more susceptible to disease.
−
[[Image:Hiveguide.jpg|right|frame|Apiculture Gump, image courtesy of Syp]]
+
 
−
Managing and caring for the hive is done using the Apiculture gump. Almost every aspect of the hive can be monitored from here. Down the left side of the gump are the status icons:
+
'''Flowers''' - this icon provides an indication of the amount of flowers available to the hive.  Bees use flowers and their by-products for almost every function of the hive including building and food.  Too many flowers in the area, however, can bring the bees into contact with more parasites and insects.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
Down the right side of the gump are the potion icons.  [[Apiculture_(beehives_and_beekeeping)#Tending_Your_Hives | See here for more information]]
 +
 
 +
=== Hive Growth Check ===
 +
A hive's growth check is performed once a day during a world save. This is generally at the same time everyday, from the first world save time that your hive first experienced. This time can be altered with server restarts and resets. The upper right hand corner of the Apiculture gump displays the results of the last growth check:
 +
 
 +
{|class="wikitable" border="3"
 +
|+Growth Check Symbols
 +
! style="color:#646060" | Symbol
 +
! Meaning
 +
|-align="center"
 +
| style="background:#646060" | <font color="Red">!</font> || Not Healthy
 +
|-align="center"
 +
| style="background:#646060" | <font color="Yellow">!</font> || Low Resources
 +
|-align="center"
 +
| style="background:#646060" | <font color="Red">-</font> || Population Decrease
 +
|-align="center"
 +
| style="background:#646060" | <font color="Lime">+</font> || Population Growth
 +
|-align="center"
 +
| style="background:#646060" | <font color="Blue">+</font> || Stage Increase/Resource Production
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
 
 +
= Tending Your Hives =
 +
Like any living thing, bees are susceptible to attacks from outside forces.  Be it parasites or disease, the apiculturist has a plethora of tools at their disposal. You will generally have to use potions on each hive every day to maximize production and maintain proper hive health.  You will want to use the following potions to combat the various maladies a beehive will encounter:
 +
 
 +
*<span style="color:blue">'''Greater Agility'''</span> potions give the bees extra energy allowing them to work harder.  This will boost honey and wax output as well as increase the range the bees can search for flowers and water.
 +
::[[Apiculture_(beehives_and_beekeeping)#Beehive_Stages | They cannot be used until the hive is in Producing stage.]]
 +
::Starting at a 10k Bee population, Greater Agility will increase [[Apiculture_(beehives_and_beekeeping)#Search_Range |the search range by +2 Tiles]].
 +
 
 +
*<span style="color:green">'''Greater Poison'''</span> potions can be used to combat [[Apiculture_(beehives_and_beekeeping)#Apiculture_Gump|insects or parasites  that infest a hive (Infestation- Bug Icon)]]. Care must be used! Too many poison potions can harm the bees.
 +
 
 +
*<span style="color:orange">'''Greater Cure'''</span> potions can be used to combat diseases such as [[Apiculture_(beehives_and_beekeeping)#Apiculture_Gump|foulbrood and dysentery (Disease - Skull Icon)]].  These potions can also be used to neutralize excess poison.
 +
 
 +
:The amount of '''Greater Cure''' or '''Greater Poison''' potions you will have to use will vary.
 +
::Red(-) = 2 Potions
 +
::Yellow(-)= 1 Potion
 +
::No Symbol near the icons = 0 Potion
 +
 
 +
*<span style="color:#FBB917">'''Greater Heal'''</span> potions can be used to help heal the bees.
 +
 
 +
:The amount of '''Greater Heal''' potions you will have to use will vary based on the [[Apiculture_(beehives_and_beekeeping)#Overall_Health|Overall Health Status of your hive]].
 +
::'''Dying''' = 3 Potions
 +
:::Your hive will require a two day treatment - 2 Potions on the 1st day, 1 Potion on the 2nd.
 +
::'''Sickly''' = 2 Potions
 +
::'''Healthy''' = 1 Potion
 +
::'''Thriving''' = 0 Potions
 +
 
 +
*<span style="color:grey">'''Greater Strength'''</span> potions can be used to build up a hive's immunity to infestation and disease.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
<u><span style="color:red">'''Note:'''</span></u> You can only apply a maximum of 2 Potions per day for each type. When you click the potion icons, a honeycomb looking gump will appear with 2-6 red dots to click. Once all dots are clicked the potion is applied. The gump will pull potions directly from kegs or bottles if you are carrying them. Bottles filled with potions or a Keg must be in your backpack for you to tend to your beehives.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
= Flowers and Water =
 +
 
 +
===Search Range===
 +
This is the amount of tiles away from the beehive that the bees will travel to access flowers and water. Tiles refers to how many steps away you are, with the hive's current position being the 0th tile and the tile right next to it being the 1st tile and so forth.
 +
 
 +
*Bees will ignore the Z-axis, so if you placed flowers within range on a floor below or above your beehives, they will access those.
 +
*Bees can use flowers and water from nearby houses, so be aware that if a neighboring house has flowers and water within a 14 tile range, your bees can use those as well.
 +
 +
====Range by Stage & Population====
 +
*3 Tiles - Colonizing, Brooding Stage, up to 20k Bees.
 +
For here on out, each 10k bees increases the search range by 1 tile:
 +
*4 Tiles  - 30k Bees
 +
*5 Tiles  - 40k Bees
 +
*6 Tiles  - 50k Bees
 +
*7 Tiles  - 60k Bees
 +
*8 Tiles  - 70k Bees
 +
*9 Tiles  - 80k Bees
 +
*10 Tiles - 90k Bees
 +
 
 +
On the first day the hive reaches 100k, the search range will be 11 Tiles. There will be a [[Apiculture_(beehives_and_beekeeping)#Hive_growth_check | Green + in the upper right hand corner]] to help determine this.
 +
 
 +
The Second day of 100k bee population, there should be a Blue + in the upper right hand corner. The search range will have reached its maximum range of '''12 Tiles''' without Greater Agility.
 +
 
 +
Greater Agility will always add +2 Tiles to the search range starting at 10k Bees.
  
−
'''Production''' - this button brings up the production gump where the beekeeper can harvest the goods the hive has to offer.
+
'''The overall maximum range that can be achieved is 14 tiles.'''
  
−
'''Infestation''' - a red or yellow hyphen here means the hive is infested by parasites or other insects.  Use poisons to kill the pests.
+
===Amount of Flowers and Water===
  
−
'''Disease''' - a red or yellow hyphen here means the hive is currently diseased.  Using cure potions will help the bees fight off the sickness.
+
By adding additional flowers and water when necessary you will naturally get 7 Flowers and 3 pitchers at 100k population.
  
−
'''Water''' - this icon displays the availability of water in the area.  Be warned, water breeds disease carrying bacteria, so too much water can make a hive more susceptible to disease.
+
To determine whether or not the amount of flowers and water is excessive or lacking you can view the symbol near the [[Apiculture_(beehives_and_beekeeping)#Apiculture_Gump | flower and/or water icons]] on the beehive gump:
  
−
'''Flowers''' - this icon provides an indication of the amount of flowers available to the hive.  Bees use flowers and their by-products for almost every function of the hive including building and food.  Too many flowers in the area, however, can bring the bees into contact with more parasites and insects.
+
{|class="wikitable" border="3"
 +
|+Flower and Water Pitcher(F/P) Symbols
 +
! style="color:#646060" | Symbol
 +
! Meaning
 +
|-align="center"
 +
| style="background:#646060" | <font color="Red">X</font>|| No Access
 +
|-align="center"
 +
| style="background:#646060" | <font color="Yellow">-</font> || Needs More
 +
|-align="center"
 +
| style="background:#646060" | || '''&loz;'''Perfect Amount
 +
|-align="center"
 +
| style="background:#646060" | <font color="Lime">+</font> || Slight Excess
 +
|-align="center"
 +
| style="background:#646060" | <font color="Yellow">+</font> || Huge Excess
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
−
== Hive maximum population ==
+
'''&loz;''' There will be no symbol near the icon if there is a perfect amount of Flowers or Water are available to the hive.
−
A single beehive can support up to 100 thousand bees.  A healthy hive can last indefinitely, however, an older hive is more susceptible to infestation and disease.
 
  
−
== Hive growth check ==
 
−
A hive's growth check is performed once a day during a world save. The upper right hand corner of the Apiculture gump displays the results of the last growth check:
 
  
−
<font color="Red">!</font> Not healthy
+
= Wax and Honey =
  
−
<font color="Yellow">!</font> Low resources
+
== Production ==
  
−
<font color="Red">-</font> Population decrease
+
Applying 2 Greater Agility potions will increase the amount of wax and honey that hive produces per Growth Check, if the hive doesn't fail to produce. As the hive grows in size, more resources will be produced per growth check. Application of Greater Agility is best started at around 30k+ bees, when the amount of resources produced has increased.
  
−
<font color="Lime">+</font> Population growth
+
With more than 25 Hives, many hives will fail to produce. Many people lower their hive amounts to 24, as less hives fail in comparison to keeping 25 hives. [http://www.uoex.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3828 Read here for a complete discussion on beehive amounts: Bee Data]
  
−
<font color="Blue">+</font> Stage increase/Resource production
+
<u><span style="color:red">'''Note:'''</span></u> Bees can be tended to by Alt Characters, or other players, but this will only maintain hive health. When bees are tended to by a character that does not own the house in which the hives are placed, <u>they will not produce wax or honey</u>.
  
−
== Harvesting ==
+
==Harvesting==
  
 
You may harvest 2 items from your beehives:
 
You may harvest 2 items from your beehives:
 +
*'''Honey''' (3 Honey + 1 bottle = 1 Jar of Honey)
 +
:For each jar of honey, 1 Hive Tool use is used.
 +
*'''Beeswax''' (You will have to render your raw beeswax in order to sell or craft with it)
 +
:All the beeswax is extracted with 1 Hive Tool use. For this reason, some people wait until the hive is full of beeswax to extract.
 +
:Rendering raw beeswax also deposits the impurities from the raw beeswax, known as "Slumgum".
  
−
*Honey (3 Honey + 1 bottle = 1 Jar of Honey)
+
The hive can hold a maximum of 255 per resource.
−
*Beeswax
 
−
 
 
  
 
===== Required Tools =====
 
===== Required Tools =====
−
 
 
*Hive Tool - To extract both beeswax and honey.  
 
*Hive Tool - To extract both beeswax and honey.  
 
*Small Wax Pot - To render your raw beeswax into pure beeswax.
 
*Small Wax Pot - To render your raw beeswax into pure beeswax.
 +
::Both are available from Beekeepers
  
 +
== Using Resources ==
 +
Honey is used in some Cooking recipes, but more often is sold back to Beekeepers.
  
−
-Keep in mind that honey and beeswax are both profitable harvests, as you can either sell both to an NPC for a significant amount, or make use of them, such as beeswax for hive robes/boots. Rendering raw beeswax also deposits the impurities from the raw beeswax, known as "Slumgum". Slumgum can be sold on your player vendor, for roughly 300g per.
+
You must purchase a 10-use '''wax tool''' from the gold stone in Trinsic for 10,000gp, in order to craft with the beeswax related items below:
 +
 
 +
*Resources
 +
:Candle Wick, Dipping Stick
 +
*Candles
 +
*Fruit Bowls
 +
*Plants
 +
:Poinsettias,Topiary, Potted Plants
 +
*Statues
 +
:Wax Bust, Color Wax Bust
 +
*Miscellaneous
 +
:Wall Sconce, Royal Hive Boots, Royal Hive Robe, Magic Medallion
 +
 
 +
 
 +
Pet Leashes and Enchanted Pet Leashes also require beeswax to make, but are crafted with a Pet Brush.
 +
:[http://www.uoex.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=954&start=165 Beehive Changes on Oct 6 2011]
  
 
= External Links =
 
= External Links =
 +
[http://www.uoex.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=941| A mini guide with pictures.]<br>
 +
[http://www.runuo.com/community/threads/apiculture-beekeeping.51622/|The Apiculture post on RunuUO forums]
  
−
[http://www.uoex.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=941| A mini guide with pictures.]<br>
 
−
[http://www.runuo.com/forums/custom-script-release-archive/52098-apiculture-beekeeping.html|The Apiculture post on RunuUO forums]
 
  
 
[[Category:Housing]][[Category:Customs]]
 
[[Category:Housing]][[Category:Customs]]

Revision as of 17:47, 13 October 2011

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 flowers and water.

Much of this information is compiled and made available by Harmbringer, and many others' help. There are in-game books currently located on top of the Youth Center, which can easily be copied and kept for reference.

Setting Up Your Beehives

You'll need a couple of things when you first set up your beehives.


Bee-Friendly Plants, must be one of these varieties and can be set to decorative:

  • Poppies, Lilies, Snowdrops, Campions
Plants can be obtained from player vendors, or grown yourself.

Water, can be present in a few different ways:

  • Water/Wine Pitchers, Water Troughs, Fountains
Pitchers of water can be bought at an inn, from a baker or bartender. Water Troughs can be bought from player vendors, or crafted with carpentry.

Beehive Deeds

Available from Beekeepers, one just north of Skara Bank, there is another west of Brit Bank


When setting up your beehives, you can use 1 flower and 1 Pitcher if they are set up where all beehives are within three tiles of the flower and water.


Bees can be set up in such a way that you can tend up to 22 Beehives from one location, as beehives can be tended up to two tiles away from you:

Tending 22 Beehives From 1 Tile
Beehive(BH) Open Tile(OT)
BH BH BH BH BH
BH BH BH BH BH
OT OT ◊OT BH BH
BH BH BH BH BH
BH BH BH BH BH

◊ - This is where you would stand to tend the 22 beehives and set up your initial flower and water pitcher.

Placing Beehives

  • To place a beehive, double click the deed and select where you would like the beehive to be placed.
Note: beehive deeds come with their own table. No need to make or buy one, just use as a regular deed, and the table is automatically placed with the hive.
  • Once the beehive is placed, it will do a Hive Growth Check at the next World Save.
    • Be sure to have your flower and water pitcher(F/P) placed. If you put your beehive down close to a world save without F/P, they will sometimes go [Empty] immediately - meaning you have to remove them and place them again. Usually, the hive ends up getting sickly or dying.

Removing Beehives

In order to remove (re-deed) a beehive, use an axe to chop down the beehive, it will go back to a deed in your pack.

If a beehive has produced resources, you will lose them when you re-deed a beehive. You'll also not be able to harvest from or interact with an [Empty] beehive, so once again the resources the hive has produced will be lost.


Beehive Stages

There are 3 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.


Beehive Health

The health of a hive is measured in two ways: overall health and bee population.

Overall Health

Overall 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.

[Empty] - The bee population has left the hive, the hive is dead. The hive must be re-deeded, and all stockpiled resources are lost.

Population

Bee population is a rough estimate of the number of bees in a hive. More bees does not always mean better for a large hive is more difficult to maintain. More water and flowers are needed in the area to support a large hive (the range a hive can check for flowers and water is increased as the hive gets larger). If the conditions get bad enough, a colony of bees will abscond, leaving an empty hive behind.

Hive Maximum Population

A single beehive can support up to 100 thousand (100k) bees. A thriving hive can last indefinitely; however, an older hive is more susceptible to infestation and disease.


Apiculture Gump

Managing and caring for the hive is done using the Apiculture gump. Almost every aspect of the hive can be monitored from here. Down the left side of the gump are the status icons:

Production - this button brings up the production gump where the beekeeper can harvest the goods the hive has to offer.

Infestation - a Red or Yellow Minus here means the hive is infested by parasites or other insects. Using poison potions will help kill the pests. If there is no minus next to the icon, it's fine.

Disease - a Red or Yellow Minus here means the hive is currently diseased. Using cure potions will help the bees fight off the sickness. If there is no minus next to the icon, it's fine.

Water - this icon displays the availability of water in the area. 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 amount of flowers available to the hive. Bees use flowers and their by-products for almost every function of the hive including building and food. Too many flowers in the area, however, can bring the bees into contact with more parasites and insects.


Down the right side of the gump are the potion icons. See here for more information

Hive Growth Check

A hive's growth check is performed once a day during a world save. This is generally at the same time everyday, from the first world save time that your hive first experienced. This time can be altered with server restarts and resets. The upper right hand corner of the Apiculture gump displays the results of the last growth check:

Growth Check Symbols
Symbol Meaning
! Not Healthy
! Low Resources
- Population Decrease
+ Population Growth
+ Stage Increase/Resource Production


Tending Your Hives

Like any living thing, bees are susceptible to attacks from outside forces. Be it parasites or disease, the apiculturist has a plethora of tools at their disposal. You will generally have to use potions on each hive every day to maximize production and maintain proper hive health. You will want to use the following potions to combat the various maladies a beehive will encounter:

  • Greater 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 the bees can search for flowers and water.
They cannot be used until the hive is in Producing stage.
Starting at a 10k Bee population, Greater Agility will increase the search range by +2 Tiles.
The amount of Greater Cure or Greater Poison potions you will have to use will vary.
Red(-) = 2 Potions
Yellow(-)= 1 Potion
No Symbol near the icons = 0 Potion
  • Greater Heal potions can be used to help heal the bees.
The amount of Greater Heal potions you will have to use will vary based on the Overall Health Status of your hive.
Dying = 3 Potions
Your hive will require a two day treatment - 2 Potions on the 1st day, 1 Potion on the 2nd.
Sickly = 2 Potions
Healthy = 1 Potion
Thriving = 0 Potions
  • Greater Strength potions can be used to build up a hive's immunity to infestation and disease.


Note: You can only apply a maximum of 2 Potions per day for each type. When you click the potion icons, a honeycomb looking gump will appear with 2-6 red dots to click. Once all dots are clicked the potion is applied. The gump will pull potions directly from kegs or bottles if you are carrying them. Bottles filled with potions or a Keg must be in your backpack for you to tend to your beehives.


Flowers and Water

Search Range

This is the amount of tiles away from the beehive that the bees will travel to access flowers and water. Tiles refers to how many steps away you are, with the hive's current position being the 0th tile and the tile right next to it being the 1st tile and so forth.

  • Bees will ignore the Z-axis, so if you placed flowers within range on a floor below or above your beehives, they will access those.
  • Bees can use flowers and water from nearby houses, so be aware that if a neighboring house has flowers and water within a 14 tile range, your bees can use those as well.

Range by Stage & Population

  • 3 Tiles - Colonizing, Brooding Stage, up to 20k Bees.

For here on out, each 10k bees increases the search range by 1 tile:

  • 4 Tiles - 30k Bees
  • 5 Tiles - 40k Bees
  • 6 Tiles - 50k Bees
  • 7 Tiles - 60k Bees
  • 8 Tiles - 70k Bees
  • 9 Tiles - 80k Bees
  • 10 Tiles - 90k Bees

On the first day the hive reaches 100k, the search range will be 11 Tiles. There will be a Green + in the upper right hand corner to help determine this.

The Second day of 100k bee population, there should be a Blue + in the upper right hand corner. The search range will have reached its maximum range of 12 Tiles without Greater Agility.

Greater Agility will always add +2 Tiles to the search range starting at 10k Bees.

The overall maximum range that can be achieved is 14 tiles.

Amount of Flowers and Water

By adding additional flowers and water when necessary you will naturally get 7 Flowers and 3 pitchers at 100k population.

To determine whether or not the amount of flowers and water is excessive or lacking you can view the symbol near the flower and/or water icons on the beehive gump:

Flower and Water Pitcher(F/P) Symbols
Symbol Meaning
X No Access
- Needs More
◊Perfect Amount
+ Slight Excess
+ Huge Excess

◊ There will be no symbol near the icon if there is a perfect amount of Flowers or Water are available to the hive.


Wax and Honey

Production

Applying 2 Greater Agility potions will increase the amount of wax and honey that hive produces per Growth Check, if the hive doesn't fail to produce. As the hive grows in size, more resources will be produced per growth check. Application of Greater Agility is best started at around 30k+ bees, when the amount of resources produced has increased.

With more than 25 Hives, many hives will fail to produce. Many people lower their hive amounts to 24, as less hives fail in comparison to keeping 25 hives. Read here for a complete discussion on beehive amounts: Bee Data

Note: Bees can be tended to by Alt Characters, or other players, but this will only maintain hive health. When bees are tended to by a character that does not own the house in which the hives are placed, they will not produce wax or honey.

Harvesting

You may harvest 2 items from your beehives:

  • Honey (3 Honey + 1 bottle = 1 Jar of Honey)
For each jar of honey, 1 Hive Tool use is used.
  • Beeswax (You will have to render your raw beeswax in order to sell or craft with it)
All the beeswax is extracted with 1 Hive Tool use. For this reason, some people wait until the hive is full of beeswax to extract.
Rendering raw beeswax also deposits the impurities from the raw beeswax, known as "Slumgum".

The hive can hold a maximum of 255 per resource.

Required Tools
  • Hive Tool - To extract both beeswax and honey.
  • Small Wax Pot - To render your raw beeswax into pure beeswax.
Both are available from Beekeepers

Using Resources

Honey is used in some Cooking recipes, but more often is sold back to Beekeepers.

You must purchase a 10-use wax tool from the gold stone in Trinsic for 10,000gp, in order to craft with the beeswax related items below:

  • Resources
Candle Wick, Dipping Stick
  • Candles
  • Fruit Bowls
  • Plants
Poinsettias,Topiary, Potted Plants
  • Statues
Wax Bust, Color Wax Bust
  • Miscellaneous
Wall Sconce, Royal Hive Boots, Royal Hive Robe, Magic Medallion


Pet Leashes and Enchanted Pet Leashes also require beeswax to make, but are crafted with a Pet Brush.

Beehive Changes on Oct 6 2011

External Links

A mini guide with pictures.
Apiculture post on RunuUO forums

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