- v50 information can now be added to pages in the main namespace. v0.47 information can still be found in the DF2014 namespace. See here for more details on the new versioning policy.
- Use this page to report any issues related to the migration.
v0.31:Beekeeping industry
| This article is about an older version of DF. |
The beekeeping industry is a straightforward process that allows a fortress to produce food (honey, royal jelly), drink (mead), and craftable items (wax).
First up you need an area that can support honey bees. These vermin-type creatures occur in any non-freezing biome. After finding a few colonies of bees, the next step is to create an artificial hive in the Craftdwarfshop which can be created from stone or wood.
Construction of the hive is then done by a dwarf with the Beekeeping profession enabled, and must be made in a tile that adjacent to an outside tile. Unless the player specifies otherwise with c, the beekeeper will then automatically find the nearest live hive and transfer it to the artificial hive.
From there the player has a few options as to what they want done.
- Using g, the player may toggle the hive so that the product is not automatically gathered. This will cause the hive to grow, allowing it to be split into additional artificial hives.
- If the player chooses to have the hive be harvested, a beekeeper will approach the hive after 6 months or so and transfer royal jelly to an empty jug and produces a honeycomb. The hive is then deconstructed, though it can be rebuilt and filled with a new hive.
The royal jelly is a counted as an edible item and can be cooked or eaten as is. The honeycomb requires a bit more effort, in that it must be brought to a screw press to be turned into honey, which is also edible and can be cooked.
That honey can then be brought to a still and, when combined with a non-absorbent barrel, can create mead.
The pressed honeycomb can be brought to a craftdwarfshop and turned into wax crafts