In *Stardew Valley*, cultivating honey is a delightful and profitable endeavor that often flies under the radar. Players keen on living off the land can harness the power of bees to create this sweet artisan product. Honey production is straightforward yet can be scaled up for those dreaming of a honey empire.

Updated on January 9, 2025, by Demaris Oxman: Honey remains an unsung hero in *Stardew Valley*. It's a valuable artisan product that also encourages players to beautify their farms with flowers. Whether you're aspiring to become a queen bee with a honey farm or just looking to optimize a few Bee Houses, here's a comprehensive guide updated with the latest from version 1.6.

Building A Bee House

Just as in the real world, honey in *Stardew Valley* is the result of bees' hard work. To start your honey production, you'll need a Bee House. The recipe for crafting one unlocks at Farming Level 3, and you'll need:

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

Alternatively, you can earn a Bee House by completing the Fall Crops Bundle at the Community Center or as a potential reward from the mayor's Prize Counter.

Once crafted, place your Bee House outdoors on your farm, in the forest, or at the quarry. It will produce honey every 3–4 days during every season except Winter. On Ginger Island, they work year-round. To relocate a Bee House, hit it with an axe or pickaxe; if there's honey ready, it will drop and retain the type influenced by nearby flowers.

Note that Bee Houses won't produce honey when placed inside the Greenhouse.

Flowers & Honey Types

If no flowers are within five tiles of your Bee House, it will produce Wild Honey, valued at 100g (140g with the Artisan profession). However, planting flowers nearby can elevate the honey's type and value, even if grown in a Garden Pot.

As an Artisan Good, honey benefits from the Artisan profession at Farming Level 10, which boosts its value by 40%. Here's a breakdown of different honey types and their prices:

Honey Type	Base Sell Price	Artisan Sell Price
Tulip	160g	224g
Blue Jazz	200g	280g
Sunflower	260g	364g
Summer Spangle	280g	392g
Poppy	380g	532g
Fairy Rose	680g	952g

To obtain specific flower honey, ensure the flowers are not harvested before collecting the honey. If flowers are harvested prematurely, the honey reverts to Wild Honey. Conversely, you can wait for the flowers to bloom before collecting honey to match the desired type.

Flowers from Wild Seeds, such as Sweet Peas or Daffodils, won't affect the honey type; these will result in Wild Honey.

What Honey Is Used For

While the higher-value honey types are best sold as-is, Wild Honey and less expensive varieties can be used for crafting or gifting.

Mead

After harvesting, honey can be transformed into Mead using a Keg. At base quality, Mead fetches 200g, and its value increases with the Artisan profession. Aging Mead in a Cask can enhance its quality and price:

• Normal: 200g (280g with Artisan)
• Silver: 250g (350g with Artisan)
• Gold: 300g (420g with Artisan)
• Iridium: 400g (560g with Artisan)

Note that the type of honey used doesn't affect Mead's quality or price, so using Wild Honey maximizes profit.

Crafting & Bundles

Honey isn't used in cooking, but it's essential for crafting a Warp Totem: Farm, which requires 1 Honey, 1 Hardwood, and 20 Fiber. This totem, available at Farming Level 8, instantly teleports you back to your farmhouse.

In the Community Center, Honey can be used to complete the Artisan Bundle in the Pantry and may be required for various Fish Pond quests.

Gifting

Honey is a fantastic gift for building friendships in *Stardew Valley*. All villagers except Maru and Sebastian appreciate it as a Liked gift. With Wild Honey being easy to produce, it's ideal for stockpiling to win over friends or potential romantic partners.

Mead, honey's fermented form, is another excellent gift, particularly loved by Pam and Willy. Most villagers enjoy it, but steer clear of gifting it to Penny, Sebastian, or any children.