Valheim guide — How to build beehives and farm honey

Looking for honey and beehives in Valheim is about as easy as finding a needle in a haystack. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, but it can be a pain due to the game’s procedural generation and map seeds. In any case, here’s our guide to help you out.

Note: Valheim is currently an Early Access title. As such, mechanics and content may change in due course. For more information, check out our Valheim guides and features hub.

Valheim guide: Where to find honey and how to farm it using beehives

Beehives are found attached to the awnings of abandoned houses in the Meadows, Black Forest, and Swamp biomes. Assuming you already have a Crude Bow and some Wood Arrows, go ahead and shoot it. You’ll get some honey, and maybe even a queen bee.

The problem, however, comes down to RNG. For one thing, you won’t always know where these abandoned houses are. Oh, and even if you discover one, you’re not guaranteed to find a beehive on the structure. Furthermore, the drop rate for a queen bee isn’t 100%.

Now, if the stars align and you do get a queen bee, bring it over to your base. You’ll be able to craft your own makeshift beehive (10x wood and 1x queen bee).

Beehives need to be placed on an open area:

• If you place them on the ground, you’ll want to surround them with low wooden walls a short distance away. This prevents enemies from attacking your structures.
• It’s also possible to prop them up on walls, rooftops, and poles.

So, why exactly do we need beehives? Well, it’s because of honey. Each beehive generates 1x honey every 20 minutes and can store up to a maximum of four before you need to collect them. Honey, in turn, is required to create mead base items. These are eventually fermented into healing potions or elemental resistance drinks. The buffs they provide are integral to progressing further in Valheim‘s sandbox campaign.

Valheim is available on Steam as part of the Early Access program. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.