Cultivating Honey in Stardew Valley: A Guide

This guide delves into the surprisingly lucrative world of honey production in Stardew Valley. While often overlooked, honey offers a simple yet profitable path to artisan goods, encouraging players to beautify their farms with flower cultivation. This guide covers everything from building bee houses to maximizing honey profits, updated for version 1.6.

Bee House Construction:

Honey, the product of industrious bees, requires a Bee House (unlocked at Farming Level 3). Each Bee House demands:

• 40 Wood
• 8 Coal
• 1 Iron Bar
• 1 Maple Syrup

Alternatively, a Bee House can be obtained by completing the Fall Crops Bundle (Community Center) or as a Prize Counter reward.

Bee Houses, placed anywhere outdoors (farm, forest, quarry), yield honey every 3-4 days (excluding winter). Ginger Island offers year-round production. Moving a Bee House (axe or pickaxe) drops any ready honey. Note: Bee Houses are unproductive within the Greenhouse.

Flowers and Honey Variety:

Proximity to flowers (within five tiles, including Garden Pots) dictates honey type and value. Absence of flowers results in Wild Honey (100g base, 140g with Artisan). The Artisan profession (Farming Level 10) boosts artisan goods by 40%.

Harvesting flowers before honey collection reverts the honey to Wild Honey. Conversely, delaying honey collection allows for higher-value honey types. Wild Seeds (Sweet Peas, Daffodils) yield only Wild Honey.

Honey Applications:

While premium honeys are best sold directly, Wild Honey and less valuable varieties serve other purposes:

• Mead: Honey in a Keg produces Mead (200g base, 280g with Artisan). Aging in a Cask improves quality and value: Normal (200g/280g), Silver (250g/350g), Gold (300g/420g), Iridium (400g/560g). Honey type doesn't affect Mead's value; Wild Honey maximizes profit.

• Crafting: Honey, Hardwood, and Fiber craft a Warp Totem: Farm (Farming Level 8).

• Community Center: Honey fulfills the Artisan Bundle (Pantry) and some Fish Pond quests.

• Gifting: Honey is a well-liked gift (except Maru and Sebastian). Wild Honey is ideal for friendship building. Mead is also popular (avoid Penny, Sebastian, and children).

This comprehensive guide equips players to establish a thriving honey enterprise, maximizing profits and enhancing their Stardew Valley experience.