How to farm bees in Rust the Crafting Update

     Bees have finally arrived in Rust, bringing more than just a buzzing noise. With the new beekeeping system, players can now harvest honey, trade it for scrap, and even use swarms of bees as weapons. This guide will take you through everything you need to know about finding bees, keeping them happy, and making the most of your buzzing new friends.

 

 

 

Beehive

 

     You’ll need to craft a Beehive to start your own honey production. This structure is simple to make, requiring:

 

     - 200 Wood

 

     - Workbench Level 1

 

     Once crafted, you can place the beehive on a foundation, inside your base, or directly on the ground. However, placement affects honey production, so choosing the right location is key.

 

 

Beehive nucleus

 

     A Beehive won’t work without a Beehive Nucleus, which serves as the hive's heart. The only way to get a nucleus is by extracting it from natural beehives in trees. Look for large, orange beehives hanging from branches - they're easy to spot and give off a loud buzzing sound.

 

 

     To collect honeycombs and nuclei, hit the hive with a tool or chop down the tree. Be careful! The bees will attack if you’re standing too close. Wearing a Hazmat Suit protects you from their stings, but you can also use fire or smoke to drive them away. Extracting a nucleus is rare; you may need to collect dozens of honeycombs before you finally get one. Riding another player’s beehive is always an option if you're feeling ruthless.

 

 

 

Placement

 

     Beehives work best in warm, humid environments. Different biomes affect their happiness and honey production rate:

 

     - Forest biome: The best option, providing 100% happiness and maximum honey production.

 

     - Desert biome: Bees are moderately happy here, producing honey at a slower rate.

 

     - Snow biome: Bees dislike the cold, leading to low happiness and minimal honey production.

 

     Beehives placed indoors or surrounded by walls lose their happiness and stop producing honey. The best security option is to place them on your roof or use open window frames to allow airflow while protecting against raiders.

 

 

Harvesting

 

     Over time, your beehives will fill with honeycombs. Harvesting them is simple, but there are a few tricks to avoid getting stung. If you take all the honeycombs at once, the bees will attack. To keep things smooth, leave at least one honeycomb inside the hive.

 

     You can extract honeycombs in two ways:

 

     - Inventory Extraction: Open your inventory, select the honeycomb, and click ‘Extract’ to get either honey or a nucleus.

 

 

     - Furnace Extraction: This method guarantees honey but does not produce a nucleus.

 

 

Trading

 

     Once you have honey, you can sell it for scrap at the Bandit Camp. The base rate is one scrap per honey jar, making this a great passive income source. If you’re the type who likes to AFK, setting up multiple beehives lets you farm scrap with minimal effort.

 

 

Honey as food

 

     Honey isn’t just for selling - it’s also a great survival tool. Eating honey provides +3 healing, -15 radiation, and +50 calories, making it an excellent food source when exploring radiation-heavy monuments. Instead of relying on a Hazmat Suit, you can eat honey to reduce radiation exposure, allowing you to gear up with metal armor for better protection.

 

 

 

Bee grenades

 

     If you thought honey was the best thing about beekeeping, think again. The Bee Grenade is a hilarious and deadly weapon introduced in The Crafting Update. To craft one, you’ll need:

 

     - 1 Beehive Nucleus

 

     - 30 Cloth

 

     - Workbench Level 1

 

     Bee Grenades work like flashbangs but release a swarm of angry bees instead. Throwing one creates a buzzing cloud that chases enemies, dealing damage over time. Bees persist even if the target runs away, making this an effective crowd-control weapon. Just be careful - not even if you are safe from the swarm.

 

 

 

Defending against bees

 

     If someone decides to use bees against you, there are a few ways to fight back:

 

     - Hazmat Suit: Wearing one negates bee stings entirely.

 

     - Fire and Smoke: Holding a torch or standing near a campfire keeps bees away.

 

     - Smoke Grenades: These instantly disperse swarms, making them a great counter to Bee Grenades.

 

 

     - Water: Jumping into water causes bees to flee permanently.

 

     - Flamethrower: If all else fails, burn them. A well-aimed flamethrower blast sends bees up in flames and clears the area instantly.

 

 

     Beekeeping in Rust is a fun and rewarding system that adds a new dimension to survival. Set up your hive, keep your bees happy, and use this buzzing new update.