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Bee nests and beehives are blocks that house bees. Bee nests are found naturally, and beehives are crafted. They fill with honey as bees pollinate flowers and return to their homes and, when full, can either be sheared for honeycombs or honey bottles extracted using glass bottles.

Obtaining[]

Natural generation[]

Bee nest in superflat village

A naturally generated bee nest in a Superflat village.

Naturally generated bee nests generate with 3 bees in them. The bee nests always face south.

Bee nests generate in the following biomes with different chances:

Biome Chance[note 1]
JE BE
Meadow
100%
Cherry Grove 5% N/A
Plains
Sunflower plains
5%
Mangrove Swamp 5% 4%
Flower forest 2% 3%
Forest
Birch forest
Old growth birch forest
0.2% 0.035%
  1. The chance for each naturally-generated oak, birch, mangrove tree, or cherry tree to have a bee nest.

Breaking[]

Beehives and bee nests can be broken using any tool or by the player's fist, though they break faster with an axe.

If a bee nest or beehive is broken using a tool not enchanted with Silk Touch, it drops nothing, and any bees inside emerge angry at the player.

If a Silk Touch tool is used, the bee nest or beehive drops itself and any bees inside remain inside. The bees will not become angry when the block is placed.

If a bee nest or beehive is destroyed with a campfire under it and without a Silk Touch tool, they will emerge angry at the player.

If broken in Creative mode with bees inside, the bee nest or beehive drops itself and bees inside remain inside.

Block Bee Nest Beehive
Hardness 0.3 0.6
Tool
Breaking time[A]
Default 0.45 0.9
Wooden 0.25 0.45
Stone 0.15 0.25
Iron 0.1 0.15
Diamond 0.1 0.15
Netherite 0.05 0.1
Golden 0.05 0.1
  1. Times are for unenchanted tools as wielded by players with no status effects, measured in seconds. For more information, see Breaking § Speed.

Crafting[]

Ingredients Crafting recipe
Any Planks +
Honeycomb

Beehives can be crafted in a crafting table. Bee nests occur naturally and cannot be crafted.

Post-generation[]

Oak, birch, or mangrove trees grown from saplings that are within 2 blocks (including diagonally) of a flower on the same y-level have a 5% chance to grow with a bee nest containing 1–3 bees. This holds true in any biome in any dimension, and for any flower including wither roses and flowering azaleas.

Usage[]

Bee housing[]

HoneyDropletsExample

Dripping honey.

Bee nests and beehives can house up to 3 bees at a time. They can enter through any unobstructed side, top, or bottom, but can exit only from the front, and only if it is unobstructed by a solid block (including a non-full solid block in Bedrock Edition).

Bees fly into a nest or hive at night, during rain, and after loading up with pollen from a flower. They first look for one at the same coordinates as the last one they entered, but if there is no nest or hive there or it already contains 3 bees when they arrive, they search the nearby area for another one.

Igniting a nest or hive allows any bees inside to escape, possibly catching fire as they flee.

Harvesting[]

The campfire is set into the ground and covered by a carpet to prevent the fire from damaging the bees.

Bees are protected from a campfire by placing a carpet over it.‌[Java Edition only]

Once full, bee nests and beehives provide two harvestable products: honey and honeycomb.

Each time a bee enters a nest or hive covered in pollen, it starts converting it to honey and honeycomb. After it is done, it waits for daylight with no rain (if necessary), then exits to go collect more pollen. When the bee exits, the nest or hive increments its honey level by 1, to a maximum of 5. Once it is full, it changes its appearance to show honey oozing out and, if the block below it is not a full solid block, starts dripping honey particles. (The dripping honey is decorative; it cannot be collected in a cauldron.) These changes signal that the hive or nest is ready for harvesting.

To harvest honey, the player uses a glass bottle on the nest or hive; the bottle then becomes a honey bottle. To harvest honeycomb, the player uses shears on the nest or hive, causing it to drop three honeycomb items. After harvesting, the hive or nest is reset to empty (honey level 0, with the default appearance).

Alternatively, honey or honeycomb can be harvested by powering a redstone dispenser containing either a glass bottle or shears. The dispenser must be placed beside and facing the hive or nest.

Campfire beehive diagram max distance

This is the maximum distance a beehive can be from a campfire while applying the calming effect (5 blocks).


Harvesting from a beehive or bee nest causes any bees inside it to become aggravated toward the player, unless there is a fire directly beneath it or a lit campfire within five blocks below, and the smoke is not obstructed. Smoke can pass through no more than one solid block, and only if that block is directly above the campfire. Placing a carpet above the campfire leaves room for the bees to hover beneath the nest and still avoid taking fire damage. In Java Edition, the smoke coming through the carpet also calms the bees. In Bedrock Edition, a carpet is treated as an obstruction that removes the calming effect of the campfire's smoke. Without a block covering the fire, the bees can still avoid fire damage if the campfire is placed 4–5 blocks below the nest.

Redstone component[]

Beehives and bee nests have comparator output with a strength equal to the honey level in the block. Once the beehive or bee nest is filled with honey it emits a signal strength of five.

Note Blocks[]

Beehives and bee nests can be placed under note blocks to produce bass sounds.

Fuel[]

In Bedrock Edition, beehives and bee nests can be used as fuel in a furnace, smelting 1.5 items per block.

Sounds[]

Generic[]

Java Edition:

SoundSubtitlesSourceDescriptionResource locationTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
Block brokenBlocksOnce the block has brokenblock.wood.breaksubtitles.block.generic.break1.00.816
Block placedBlocksWhen the block is placedblock.wood.placesubtitles.block.generic.place1.00.816
Block breakingBlocksWhile the block is in the process of being brokenblock.wood.hitsubtitles.block.generic.hit0.250.516
None[sound 1]Entity-DependentFalling on the block with fall damageblock.wood.fallNone[sound 1]0.50.7516
FootstepsEntity-DependentWalking on the blockblock.wood.stepsubtitles.block.generic.footsteps0.151.016
  1. a b MC-177082

Bedrock Edition:

SoundSourceDescriptionResource locationVolumePitch
BlocksOnce the block has brokendig.stone1.00.8-1.0
BlocksWhen the block is placeddig.stone1.00.8-1.0
BlocksWhile the block is in the process of being brokenhit.stone0.27 [sound 1]0.5
PlayersFalling on the block with fall damagefall.stone0.41.0
PlayersWalking on the blockstep.stone0.31.0
PlayersJumping from the blockjump.stone0.121.0
PlayersFalling on the block without fall damageland.stone0.221.0
  1. MCPE-169612 — Many blocks make very slightly different sounds to stone

Unique[]

Java Edition:

SoundSubtitlesSourceDescriptionResource locationTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
Honey dripsBlocksWhen a honey drip particle hits a blockblock.beehive.dripsubtitles.block.beehive.drip0.09-0.3varies [sound 1]8
Bee enters hiveBlocksWhen a bee enters a beehiveblock.beehive.entersubtitles.block.beehive.enter1.00.7/0.814
Bee leaves hiveBlocksWhen a bee exits a beehiveblock.beehive.exitsubtitles.block.beehive.exit1.00.9/1.0/1.114
Shears scrapeBlocksWhen honeycombs are harvested from a beehiveblock.beehive.shearsubtitles.block.beehive.shear0.81.0/0.8/0.916
Bees workBlocksRandomly while a bee is insideblock.beehive.worksubtitles.block.beehive.work0.61.012
Bottle fillsBlocksWhen a bottle is filled with honeyitem.bottle.fillsubtitles.item.bottle.fill1.01.016
  1. Can be 0.7 or 0.9 for each sound

Bedrock Edition:

SoundSourceDescriptionResource locationVolumePitch
BlocksWhen a honey drip particle hits a blockblock.beehive.drip0.30.7-0.9
BlocksWhen a bee enters a beehiveblock.beehive.enter0.750.7-0.8
BlocksWhen a bee exits a beehiveblock.beehive.exit0.750.9-1.1
BlocksWhen honeycombs are collected from a beehiveblock.beehive.shear0.80.8-1.0
BlocksRandomly while a bee is insideblock.beehive.work0.61.0
BlocksWhen a bottle is filled with honey[sound 1]bucket.fill_water1.01.0

Data values[]

ID[]

Java Edition:

NameIdentifierFormBlock tagsTranslation key
Bee Nestbee_nestBlock & Itembeehivesblock.minecraft.bee_nest
BeehivebeehiveBlock & Itembeehivesblock.minecraft.beehive
NameIdentifier
Block entitybeehive

Bedrock Edition:

NameIdentifierNumeric ID FormItem ID[i 1]Translation key
Bee Nestbee_nest473Block & Giveable Item[i 2]Identical[i 3]tile.bee_nest.name
Beehivebeehive474Block & Giveable Item[i 2]Identical[i 3]tile.beehive.name
  1. ID of block's direct item form, which is used in savegame files and addons.
  2. a b Available with /give command.
  3. a b The block's direct item form has the same id as the block.
NameSavegame ID
Block entityBeehive

Block states[]

Java Edition:

Name Default value Allowed values Description
facingnortheast
north
south
west
The opposite from the direction the player faces while placing the block.
honey_level00
1
2
3
4
5
Every pollinated bee that leaves the hive after working increases the honey level by one. When at level 5, honey can be bottled or honeycombs can be harvested.

Bedrock Edition:

NameMetadata Bits Default value Allowed valuesValues for
Metadata Bits
Description
directionNot Supported00
1
2
3
UnsupportedThe direction the block faces.
  • 0: south
  • 1: west
  • 2: north
  • 3: east
honey_levelNot Supported00
1
2
3
4
5
UnsupportedEvery pollinated bee that leaves the hive after working increases the honey level by one. When at level 5, honey can be bottled or honeycombs can be harvested.

Block data[]

A beehive has a block entity associated with it that holds additional data about the block.

Java Edition:

  • Block entity data
    • Tags common to all block entities
    •  Bees: Entities currently in the hive.
      • An entity in the hive.
        •  EntityData: The NBT data of the entity in the hive.
        •  MinOccupationTicks: The minimum amount of time in ticks for this entity to stay in the hive.
        •  TicksInHive: The amount of ticks the entity has stayed in the hive.
    •  FlowerPos: Stores the location of a flower, so other bees can go to it.
      •  X: X coordinate of the flower.
      •  Y: Y coordinate of the flower.
      •  Z: Z coordinate of the flower.

Bedrock Edition:

See Bedrock Edition level format/Block entity format.

Advancements[]

Icon Advancement In-game description Parent Actual requirements (if different) Resource location
Advancement-plain-rawBee Our Guest
Use a Campfire to collect Honey from a Beehive using a Glass Bottle without aggravating the Bees HusbandryUse a glass bottle on a beehive or bee nest while not angering the bees inside.husbandry/safely_harvest_honey
Advancement-plain-rawTotal Beelocation
Move a Bee Nest, with 3 Bees inside, using Silk Touch Husbandryhusbandry/silk_touch_nest

Achievements[]

Icon Achievement In-game description Actual requirements (if different) Gamerscore earned Trophy type (PS4)
PS4 Other
Bee our guestUse a Campfire to collect Honey from a Beehive using a Bottle without aggravating the bees.15GBronze
Total BeelocationMove and place a Bee Nest, with 3 bees inside, using Silk Touch.30GSilver

History[]

|Bee nests now have a 2% chance to spawn in flower forests. |Bee nests now have a 0.2% chance to spawn in forest, wooded hills, birch forest, tall birch forest, birch forest hills, and tall birch hills biomes.}}

Java Edition
1.1519w34aBee Nest (N) JE1 BE1 Bee Nest (E) JE1 Bee Nest (S) JE1 Bee Nest (W) JE1 Bee Nest (N) JE1 BE1 Bee Nest Honey (E) JE1 Bee Nest Honey (S) JE1 Bee Nest (W) JE1 Added bee nests.
Beehive (N) JE1 Beehive (E) JE1 Beehive (S) JE1 Beehive (W) JE1 Beehive (N) JE1 Beehive Honey (E) JE1 Beehive Honey (S) JE1 Beehive (W) JE1 Added bee hives.
19w35aOak and birch trees generated from saplings can no longer have bee nests.
Bee nests now cannot generate unless there is air in front of the front side of the nest.
Bee hives and bee nests are now flammable.
19w36aBeehive Honey (N) JE2 Beehive Honey (E) JE2 Beehive Honey (S) JE2 Beehive Honey (W) JE2 The top and bottom texture for filled bee hives are now missing.[1]
19w37aBeehive (N) JE1 Beehive Honey (E) JE1 Beehive Honey (S) JE1 Beehive (W) JE1 The top and bottom texture for filled bee hives are now fixed.
19w41a"Bee hive" has been renamed to "Beehive."
19w42a"Bee nest" has been renamed to "Bee Nest."
19w46aBees now exit hives only from the front.
Hives no longer drop in Creative mode, unless they contain bees.
1.15.2Pre-Release 1Oak and birch saplings grown within 2 blocks of a flower on the same y-level have a 5% chance to have a bee nest, making bee nests a renewable resource.
1.1620w06aCrimson planks and warped planks can now be used to craft beehives.
20w13aBee nests now appear yellow on maps.
1.18experimental snapshot 2Bee nests now have a high chance to spawn in mountain meadows.[more information needed]
21w39aBee nests now have a 100% chance to spawn in meadows.
1.1922w11aMangrove planks can now be used to craft beehives.
22w14aBee nests now have a 5% chance to spawn in mangrove trees as well as inside mangrove swamps.
1.20
(Experimental)
23w07aBee nests now have a 5%[verify] chance to spawn in cherry trees as well as inside cherry groves.
Cherry planks can now be used to craft beehives.
Bedrock Edition
1.14.0beta 1.14.0.1Bee Nest (N) JE1 BE1 Bee Nest (E) BE1 Bee Nest (S) BE1 Bee Nest (N) JE1 BE1 Bee Nest (N) JE1 BE1 Bee Nest Honey (E) BE1 Bee Nest Honey (S) BE1 Bee Nest (N) JE1 BE1 Added bee nests.
Beehive (N) BE1 Beehive (E) BE1 Beehive (S) BE1 Beehive (W) BE1 Beehive (N) BE1 Beehive Honey (E) BE1 Beehive Honey (S) BE1 Beehive (W) BE1 Added beehives.
beta 1.14.0.3"Bee nest" has been renamed to "Bee Nest."
1.16.0beta 1.15.0.51Oak and birch saplings grown within 2 blocks of a flower on the same y-level now have a 5% chance to have a bee nest.
beta 1.16.0.57Bee nests now have a 3% chance to generate in flower forest.
Bee nests now have a 5% chance to generate in plains and sunflower plains.
Bee nests now have a 0.035% chance to generate in forest, wooded hills, birch forest, tall birch forest, birch forest hills, and tall birch hills biomes.
1.16.100beta 1.16.100.54Now appear yellow on maps.
1.18.30beta 1.18.20.27Breaking a nest or hive with Silk Touch no longer angers bees.
1.19beta 1.19.0.20Bee nests now have a chance to spawn in mangrove trees as well as inside mangrove swamps.

Issues[]

Issues relating to "Beehive" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

See also[]

Gallery[]

Screenshots[]

References[]

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