Bees not swarming from hive in the wild

[Hovdavic]

Version 1.14.2 stable, normal survival mode.  I found a bee hive with poor population high up in a birch tree. I built a platform right next to it, populated it with 6 flowers and an empty skep. The bee population went from poor to large when I checked it after a few days. It said "bees will swarm in approximately 9 days". I came back after 9 days only to find a still empty skep. The hive now indicates "bees with swarm in approximately 10 days." I have checked it every day and it always says they will swarm in 10 days. I just moved the skep from about 4 blocks away to literally right next to the hive. I will check it again in an in-game day or two, but I was wondering if bees not swarming or counting down to swarm is a known thing - intended or otherwise. 

Thanks!

[DrEngine]

If it doesn't count down the game probably doesn't run. Do you play server game or single player local ? Be sure your game time is running. Does date change ?

Edited January 3, 2021 by DrEngine

[Hovdavic]

Everything else in the game works fine. This is only an issue with the hive. I found another hive in a different chunk and it behaved as expected so I got a full skep that way, but when I go back to the "stuck" hive it now says 6 days until swarm  - and this 6 months after I set it up to populate the skep. I'm not bothered by it, but I did want to raise it as something that is not quite working correctly. I am playing single player local.

[DrEngine]

Game development is complicated and it's impossible to catch every single bug. If the bug is only local/single and doesn't repeat so we (players) can simply overcome it, it's the best solution. 

[Hovdavic]

understood. I am just trying to do my part in the early access process - raising the issues as I come across them, then letting the developers decide if they need to be addressed. Also, this post may reflect someone else's experience so it is good to have it documented, even if it isn't "fixed". 

Thanks

[Hal13]

could it be the area needs to be loaded for bees to swarm? or could it be temperature/rainfall preventing the timer from ticking further (similar to berry bushes not developping further when it's too cold)?

[Hovdavic]

I don't know what the trouble is but it seems to be limited to this one hive. Last I checked it had counted down to 3 days until swarm. It's like time is moving REALLY slowly in that one spot or something. I've moved on, long ago, but I just wanted to raise the question. Thanks for chiming in. 

[mac1969]

Hello,

This bug was never addressed. Some beehives wont sworm, no matter how many flowers you put around them. And to avoid silly questions - yes, the time is running in a single player game; yes, there is an empty skep within range and yes, I know how it works normaly.

So, please, address this bug! Its anoying when you run around the map trying to find a beehive and when you find it - sorry, no bonus, I mean - no bees.

Thank you in adbance.

[Thorfinn]

Do you still have the save? I've never seen that happen. 'Course I never try it more than once per game, but still, finding the bug would be a whole lot easier with a save that is exhibiting that behavior.

[Dilan Rona]

could be the hive in question was in a chunk not loaded if it was far enough away. I actually had to make a camp at a hive to make sure it would spread to an empty skep.

[mac1969]

It got worse after the last update. I found 4 hives and neither of them swarmed. On the screenshot below you can see the hive and the empty skep below it. Its after 3 days of waiting.

And yes, I still have the save.

 

Edited February 25, 2025 by mac1969

[mac1969]

This is the save file and Im ontop of one of those hives. Look into it.

one year steel.zip

Edited February 25, 2025 by mac1969

[mac1969]

Update:

Found 4 more huves - same thing. Im putting VS on hold untill they fix this. Have fun.

[idiomcritter]

12 hours ago, mac1969 said:

Update:

Found 4 more huves - same thing. Im putting VS on hold untill they fix this. Have fun.

just a tad bit concern that this thread that has been marked as archive, will not be seen by the right people (development). 

maybe open a new thread?  or github bug report it (github has a form, requesting a few environmental things like version of client, running OS, mods...)?

would be sad if you are the only one who has encountered this issue, and submitted a save file to go along with it

Edited February 26, 2025 by idiomcritter

[Dilan Rona]

tried to open the save, and its showing corrupted on my end.

 

[mac1969]

I reported the bug on github. Lets see what happens

[mac1969]

Update:

After about 10 days, the bee hives finaly sowrmed. I guess it was just a metter of time. In the past though they were showing the sworm timer almost right after you place the empty skep. I guees thats no longer the case.

Thanks to all who tried to help.

Good luck and have fun.

[Thorfinn]

On default starts, it can take a while. Pretty sure the counter resets anytime the temperature drops below 10, and they've apparently changed the algorithm a tad -- spending the nighttime on 3 or 4 May propagating your apiary no longer works reliably. I have not looked (because I haven't yet figured out the rule; I usually only look it up to confirm what I thought happened, and way too often stumble on other tidbits I wish I had not seen) but my working hypothesis is that there is now some kind of latch involved -- if the previous night dropped below 10, the hive will not propagate that day. That's how I think it's acting anyway.

[Dilan Rona]

Could also be a bear or racoon or two.