Quick answer
Research Beekeeping (50 green, after Garden Improvement I), then build a Beehive on a hive spot in the Vineyard for 2 Wooden Plank, 1 Bronze Detail and 6 Bronze Nails. Each full hive gives 3–6 Honey and 1–2 Beeswax and refills 8 minutes later.[1] Beeswax is what candles are made of: a Simple Candle needs 2.[2]
Requirements
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Technology | Beekeeping, 50 green points, after Garden Improvement I[1] |
| Location | Hive spots in the Vineyard[1] |
| Build cost | 2 Wooden Plank, 1 Bronze Detail, 6 Bronze Nails[1] |
| Building | Built with a hammer; Building mastery 3[1] |
| Harvesting | Farming mastery 3[1] |
The Vineyard is across the broken bridge to the left of your garden, so you need that bridge repaired first (1 Polished Bronze; see Polished Bronze).[3][4]
Step by step
- Repair the bridge to reach the Vineyard.[3]
- Research Beekeeping.[1]
- Build hives on the hive spots in the Vineyard.[1]
- Harvest when full: 3 to 6 Honey, 1 or 2 Beeswax, 2 green tech points each time.[1]
- Come back 8 minutes later; the hive refills completely, over and over.[1]
Wild hives vs. your own
| Wild hives | Built Beehive | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | 4 spots on the map[2] | Vineyard hive spots[1] |
| Beeswax | A 25% chance of 1 more per harvest[2] | 1–2 per harvest[1] |
| Cost | Free | Beekeeping tech + materials[1] |
Built hives are the reliable source; wild ones are a bonus when you pass by.
What Beeswax is for
| Use | Beeswax |
|---|---|
| Simple Candle | 2[2] |
| Pretty Candle | 3[2] |
| Magnificent Candle | 4[2] |
| Alchemy (Alkali, several potions, Philosopher Stone) | varies[2] |
Candles are made at the Formulation Bench, and the Simple Candle (2 Beeswax + 1 Flax Thread) is the one Larry needs to open the Forest mine.[5][6] Beeswax is also worth studying at the Study Table (30 red, 40 green, 10 blue for 3 Science and 5 Faith).[2] No trader buys Beeswax, and it stacks to 30.[2]
Honey from the same harvests can be brewed into mead at a Brewing Stand.[1]
How many hives?
From the numbers above: one hive averages about 1.5 Beeswax per 8-minute cycle, so a Simple Candle (2 Beeswax) needs a little over one cycle. If you are making Pretty or Magnificent Candles (3 or 4 Beeswax each), two or three hives save a lot of waiting.
Related guides
- Flax and Flax Thread: the other candle ingredient.
- Church Choir and how to get Faith: what better church quality is for.
- Open the Forest mine
Sources & References
- Beehive, Graveyard Keeper 2 Wiki (graveyardkeeper2.io) ↩ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
- Beeswax: where to get it, uses, runes and tech points, Wikily ↩ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
- Get Polished Bronze in Graveyard Keeper 2 to Repair the Bridge, Game Rant (Joe Grantham) ↩ 1, 2
- Polished Bronze, Wikily ↩
- Formulation Bench: recipes and build cost, Wikily ↩
- Forest Mine Access, Graveyard Keeper 2 Wiki (Fextralife) ↩