Why should I start with beekeeping?

[Squigie]

Forest bees produce regular honey combs.

Silky propolis has a small chance to yield propolis when centrifuged in addition to silk wisps, so tropical bees are a viable alternative to breeding your way up to the Industrious branch. Though they are at home in warm/damp they will tolerate normal/normal biomes like plains, forest or extreme hills.

The rate for propolis from squeezing honey is to low to make it an attractive route unless one has a use for large amounts of liquid honey, such as boosting biomass production or running a stand alone beealyzer. Or sticking it in a tank to look pretty.

 

[Darkblock306]

Has anyone found a challenge map where you have to get all your resources via bees (similar to skyblock)? Thats what occurred to me when I found the full potential of bees... Also, there are two words that will get anyone that uses gregtech to instantly uninstall extra bees... Iridium Bees.

 

[MikeBoy123]

You should start with bees because with the Extra Bees mod included, the possibilities are endless. There's bees that make lava, special piping, pollen, food, large backpacks, METALS!!!! (Once you automate bees with pipes, INFINITE METALS!!!!!)

 

[Korenn]

I love using the mailboxes on my server, and we need to use bees for that. Even without really getting into it, dabbling with bees still can be a huge benefit.

This. If you're on a server where people go their own way, mailboxes really are a game changer.

 

[Rakankrad]

You should start with bees because with the Extra Bees mod included, the possibilities are endless. There's bees that make lava, special piping, pollen, food, large backpacks, METALS!!!! (Once you automate bees with pipes, INFINITE METALS!!!!!)

Other than metals, you can get all of those from bees already without needing Extra Bees. I love the oily bee branch from EB however (other than how easily abusable it is with PetroGen for very easy and quick EU). Renewable Oil..

 

[EternalDensity]

Now, Honey by itself can be used to produce Honeyed Slices, which are an amazing food source. However, put it in a squeezer, and you get Liquid Honey, with a chance of Propolis. Now, Propolis is a generally useful thing, you can make apiarist's pipes with 'em, for example. It can also be Centrifuged into Sticky Resin. I think any purveyor of IC2 knows what to do with that. Generally, you're already going to have rubber trees, but if you get stuck in a bad spot without any rubber trees nearby, it can be quite useful to get yourself going.

You just solved my current major problem: now I should be able to properly get started on IC2 stuff, as there's not a rubber tree in sight.

 

[ShneekeyTheLost]

You just solved my current major problem: now I should be able to properly get started on IC2 stuff, as there's not a rubber tree in sight.

You can also use IC2's Crops system and try to crossbreed reeds until you get Stickreeds which produce sticky resin as well.

 

[EternalDensity]

You can also use IC2's Crops system and try to crossbreed reeds until you get Stickreeds which produce sticky resin as well.

I'll have to look into that. Currently I know very little about that system. Wiki time...
[edit] Today I Learned: 'HAYO' still exists

 

[ShneekeyTheLost]

I'll have to look into that. Currently I know very little about that system. Wiki time...
[edit] Today I Learned: 'HAYO' still exists

You will find more relevant information in the Agricultural Engineering area of the forums.

 

[Quesenek]

Bee's are fun once you figure out how to manipulate the breeding. For example if you have a hybrid princess choosing which drone you mix with it to increase your chances of getting the bee your after. Once you learn how things work it makes bee breeding a lot more fun.

 

[slay_mithos]

Getting soul frames is also a big part in breeding now.

 

[TheLoneWolfling]

You can also use IC2's Crops system and try to crossbreed reeds until you get Stickreeds which produce sticky resin as well.

However, IC2 crops don't automate well. Bees do.

 

[ShneekeyTheLost]

However, IC2 crops don't automate well. Bees do.

GregTech has a machine for automation. Getting the Forestry/IC2 Crossover Addon lets crops work with Farm/Combines. So while the actual crossbreeding may not be, the crops themselves most certainly can.

If you want propolis in any kind of quantity, you won't be getting it from squeezing it very easily. It's best to breed up the Diligent line.

 

[TheLoneWolfling]

GregTech has a machine for automation.

Which uses (800eu + 2eu*drops)/crop, requires additional automation, and requires an (expensive) machine per crop. Yes, it is possible to automate, but it's a lot harder and requires EU to boot.

The crossover works, but isn't included in either pack.

 

[Celestialphoenix]

Oddly, Indigo flowers and dyes are in short supply in my world- bees to the rescue!!

Also you can cut your peat with ash and propolis and double the fuel value.

 

[Quesenek]

Getting soul frames is also a big part in breeding now.

Yeah they take out a little bit of the redundant re-breeding which saves a lot of time.

 

[EternalDensity]

Oddly, Indigo flowers and dyes are in short supply in my world- bees to the rescue!!

Aren't you getting indigo flowers by bonemealing grass?

 

[Icarus White]

Actually, that reminds me:

I ended up setting the config for this myself, but do bees pollinate Indigo Flowers in the default configuration? I know Plugins for Forestry sets that up for you, but I'm not sure if that mod's in the Mindcrack pack. In any case, bonemealing grass should yield some indigo.

 

[Democretes]

If anyone is an extremely lucky bee breeder, you could always go for the diamond bees.

Something else I thought of, would it be possible to make a "mine field", per say, using austere bees?(the ones that explode I believe) I think that would be pretty interesting in SMP.

 

[EternalDensity]

In DW20's pack I've seen pink, orange, and white flowers popping up due to my bees, but no indigo. But I've still collected plenty... hmm I really ought to get around to making a project table