Bee

This is an article about the stinging bee found in trees. For the smaller and harmless variety found around flowers, please see Honeybee.

"I caught a bee! Bzzz, bzz, bzz, bzzzzz!" —Animal Crossing (GCN) (Catching bees)

"OWWWW! I got stung by a bee..." —Animal Crossing (GCN) (Stung by bees)

"I caught a bee! I'm so happy!" —Wild World (Catching bees)

"I got stung by BEES! Ow! Ow ow ow ow ow!" —Wild World (Stung by bees)

"I caught a bee! Bzz! Bzz! Bzz! Glad I didn't get stung!" —City Folk (Catching bees)

"I got stung by a bee! Ow! Ow ow ow!" —City Folk (Stung by bees)

"I caught a bee! Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz! Phew! ...But why am I still holding it?!" —New Leaf (Catching bees)

"Ow! Ow ow ow... I got stung by bees!" —New Leaf (Stung by bees)

Bee
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Image gallery
Real-world info
Name: Apis cerana japonica Family: Apidae - Bees
Main appearances
DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
Film HHD aF PC
Names in other languages  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown  Unknown

File:Beehive.jpg

A beehive

Bees (ハチ, Hachi) are in every game. They are an insect in the Animal Crossing series that fall, in beehives, from shaken trees. Bees chase the player that shakes the tree (the reaction beforehand is one of shock) until they either take cover in a building, catch the Bee, or get stung. If stung, the player's left eye swells. They are worth 2,500 Bells in Animal Crossing: City Folk and Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and 4,500 Bells in all of the other games. Five beehives are generated every day, but do not fall when the gate is open.

The player can be healed either with medicine or by simply saving and ending the game. Villagers will remark on a stung player's appearance if the player has been stung, some reacting in fright or concern (like Marina); some like Portia, chiding the player for that attack (adding insult to injury); while cranky villagers outright laugh at the player. In New Leaf, a uchi villager will act concerned for the player, and will give them medicine if they are stung, even if the villager is currently sick. If a beehive falls from a tree and the player goes to talk to a villager, the villager will notice the Bees in the air and say something in fear. i.e., "Get away from me!"

Catching the Bee

The player must walk around and shake various trees, making sure there is room around the tree for a nest to fall, a large space directly north to run in, and that the player has his or her net ready to be accessed quickly. When a beehive falls and the character receives the comical shock expression, the player must run north and quickly switch to the net. This will always cause the player to face south. The Bees too will fly north to sting the player, and as soon as the Bees appear at the very bottom of the screen, the player must swing his or her net. If the timing is right, the Bees will be caught.

Another tactic is shaking and running around the tree in the direction away from the nest, making sure that the player does not run too early or the Bees will come out of the nest and attack in the direction he or she is running. At about the '10 o'clock position', the player can stop, equip the net and rapidly hit the 'A' button. A player must swing the net the instant he or she returns to the screen from the equipment.

Equipping the net is much easier in Animal Crossing: City Folk and Animal Crossing: New Leaf because the net can be equipped with the touch of a button on the D-Pad; it is unnecessary to go to the equipment screen, saving the player time. Because of this, it is fairly simple to catch a Bee in these games. Players should shake the tree from the 10 o'clock position. When players see the beehive fall, they can immediately press the D-Pad, and immediately after the net is equipped, the player can press A to swing the net. If the player started in the 10 o'clock position, the swarm should be right in front of the players' face when he or she swings, meaning players will catch the Bee. This method, if done correctly, almost always works.

In New Leaf, players can alternatively go on the north position around the tree and then shake it (or hit it with an axe). Once a beehive comes out, they can walk to the beehive within the netting range and then open the menu with the X button (it is quicker than using the touch screen). The Bees then circle in place, but do not move from their spawned spot. The player can then equip a net. Once the player exits the menu, he or she must immediately swing the net to catch the Bees.

As of the Welcome amiibo update in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, catching bees is even easier than before, as now players can shake trees without having to unequip the net.

Bees are above all the most difficult to catch in Animal Crossing: Wild World in terms of strategy and speed.

Donating to the Museum

In Animal Crossing

"Why, I'd imagine it took more than a bit of skill and daring to catch bees! You've got 'moxie,' as I believe they say. I'm certain you must have been stung numerous times. How terribly painful that must have been, eh wot? Incidentally, do you know how some honeybees protect their hives when attacked by giant wasps? The giant wasps can't survive heats above 113 degrees, but the honeybees can live at heats up to 122 degrees. The canny honeybees use this nine-degree difference to their fullest advantage, wot! When the wasps arrive, the bees attack them en masse. A single wasp may be swarmed by up to 500 bees! Now this is truly amazing. The bees then begin to vibrate, creating a veritable cocoon of suffocating heat. Do you see the genius at work here? This swarming is but a feverish defense against the giant wasps' weakness. The temperature? Hoo hoo! Lo and behold, 120 degrees! Just below the bees own threshold of survival! In this incredible fashion, the honeybees literally lay their lives on the line to protect the hive. Stupendous! To be honest, I learned that from a wee documentary I saw on the telly! Of course, incredible feats go only so far. When all is said and done, they're still insects, and still ghastly!"

In Wild World

"I once thought that its stinger was a bee's lone defense, but... ...I've recently heard that they also possess terribly replusive breath! Of course, the gent who told me this was a bit of a rabit liar, but still! I would heartly endorse the following action if you see another: FLEE LIKE MAD! Stingers and bad breath, honestly! What monstrous little beasties..."

In City Folk

"It can be quite dangerous to receive a large dose of bee venom-- for example, by being stung. That said, did you know that same substance is actually used in some women's perfumes? Indeed! A potent venom and a potent perfume... Which do you suppose is more devastating, wot?"

The Bee can be found flying from tree to tree along the back wall of the museum's insect exhibit.

In New Leaf

Upon being donated, the Bee can be found in the room of the bug exhibit with the light in, flying around and resting on a tree in the back. The exhibit has this to say about the Bee:

"Bees are prone to attack anyone who comes too close to their hive, so be careful when approaching! The yellow and black you see on their bodies are colors often used to convey danger. This danger is pretty significant, as many varieties of bees are capable of stinging multiple times."

Encyclopedia Information

Wild World

''These dangerous bugs are yellow and black." Size- 38 mm Season- All year Time- All day

Further Information

Apis cerana japonica, the Asiatic honey bee, on a flower.

Apis cerana japonica, the Asiatic honey bee, is a hardy species of bee that originates from South-Eastern Asia. It is used commercially for its honey, despite having a smaller yield than its European counterpart, Apis mellifera. Mellifera has, however, been subject to selective breeding for many centuries, greatly increasing honey output over the years.

Cerana can survive at temperatures of as low as -0.1ºC and heights of up to 3,500 meters.

Asiatic honey bees have a unique defense mechanism against a specific predator, the Japanese giant hornet. It involves surrounding the hornet and then vibrating. This raises the hornet's temperature, overheating and subsequently killing it. Despite this, just approximately thirty Japanese giant hornets can obliterate an entire hive consisting of thousands of bees in a few hours.