Taming the Queen Bee in ARK: Survival Evolved can be a challenging yet rewarding experience for players who want to utilize the unique abilities of this creature. Unlike most tames in the game, the Queen Bee requires specific preparation, awareness of her behavior, and the right tools to safely extract her from her hive and make her your ally. Once tamed, she provides a consistent source of honey and even protection when deployed correctly. Understanding how to tame the Queen Bee effectively is crucial for any ARK player focused on resource management and base enhancement.
Understanding the Queen Bee
What Is the Queen Bee in ARK?
The Queen Bee is a passive tame in ARK that plays a unique role compared to other creatures. She does not fight or transport you like dinosaurs or large mounts, but instead lives inside a Beehive structure and can produce honey, which is vital for crafting, taming, and consumption. She can also release a swarm of Giant Bees to defend your base or deter intruders.
Where to Find Queen Bees
Queen Bees are found inside wild Giant Beehives located on various cliffsides, trees, and rocky ledges depending on the map you’re playing. These hives can be spotted due to their large size and the buzzing sounds coming from them. You’ll typically find them in forested or mountainous areas, so look around for clusters of hives or fly up to higher ledges to locate them.
Preparing to Tame a Queen Bee
Recommended Gear and Items
Before attempting to tame a Queen Bee, you’ll need to come prepared. Here’s what you should bring:
- Ghillie Armor Helps you approach the hive without aggroing the bee swarm too early.
- Bug Repellant Reduces the chance of being attacked by Giant Bees while interacting with the hive.
- Smoke Grenades (optional) Can help reduce aggression from swarms in PvE.
- A ranged weapon Such as a shotgun or crossbow to destroy the hive efficiently.
- Rare Flowers Required to tame the Queen Bee once she’s released.
Make sure your armor is durable, especially if you’re not using Bug Repellant, because the bees can overwhelm unprepared players quickly.
Scout the Area
Before attacking the hive, clear out any nearby aggressive creatures such as raptors, direwolves, or terror birds. You don’t want to be swarmed by bees and then ambushed by predators during the taming process.
How to Destroy the Hive and Release the Queen Bee
Breaking the Wild Beehive
To begin the process, shoot the wild hive with a ranged weapon until it breaks. When it’s destroyed, a swarm of Giant Bees will attack you. If you’re using Bug Repellant, you may avoid their aggression. If not, be ready to fight or run. Once the hive is fully broken, the Queen Bee will appear and start to fly away slowly.
Tracking the Queen Bee
The Queen Bee doesn’t fly very fast, but she can be tricky to spot among trees or cliffs. Watch her movement carefully after the hive breaks. If you lose her, use a flyer to scout the area and look for a large bee floating through the air.
Taming the Queen Bee
Passive Taming with Rare Flowers
The Queen Bee is tamed passively by approaching her and feeding her Rare Flowers. You do not knock her out or trap her. Simply approach from behind or the side, preferably while wearing Ghillie Armor and using Bug Repellant, and press the appropriate button (usually ‘E’ on PC) to feed her. Repeat this process until the taming meter fills up completely.
Important notes:
- Make sure you have enough Rare Flowers in your inventory.
- If she gets startled or takes damage, she may fly away or reset the taming process.
- Timing and patience are key. Avoid spamming the feed button or moving too close too quickly.
Post-Tame: Deploying the Queen Bee
Placing the Beehive
After you successfully tame the Queen Bee, she will appear in your inventory as an item called ‘Bee Hive.’ You can place this hive on the ground, on platforms, or near your base to start collecting Giant Bee Honey. The hive produces honey passively and can also house bees that defend your base.
To maintain the hive, you’ll need to regularly provide it with Rare Flowers as fuel. If not fueled, the hive stops producing honey. You can retrieve honey by approaching and interacting with the hive, but beware it may trigger bee aggression if not wearing protective gear.
Using the Bee Hive Strategically
The hive can be used for multiple purposes:
- Taming Baits Honey attracts creatures like Dire Bears and can be used in traps.
- Crafting Recipes Certain foods require honey as an ingredient.
- Defensive Tactics Unclaimed hives can release bees on intruders.
Tips for Efficient Queen Bee Taming
Use a Flyer
A flying mount like an Argentavis or Pteranodon makes scouting and tracking hives much easier. After destroying a hive, you can follow the Queen Bee more effectively from the air and ensure you don’t lose her in dense forests or cliffs.
Practice Hive Breaking
Not every hive contains a Queen Bee, and some may bug out or glitch. Be prepared to search and destroy multiple hives before finding one with a tameable Queen. Don’t waste all your Rare Flowers on a single attempt.
Multiple Beehives
You can tame more than one Queen Bee and place several hives around your base. This is useful for large tribes or when running a honey-dependent operation. Spread the hives out slightly to prevent crowding and potential aggression bugs.
Common Problems and How to Solve Them
Queen Bee Disappeared After Hive Broke
Sometimes the Queen Bee may not spawn or may clip into terrain. In this case, destroy nearby hives and try again. It’s best to do this in open areas with flat terrain when possible.
Can’t Feed Queen Bee
If the taming prompt won’t appear, you may be too far, approaching from the wrong angle, or not wearing enough stealth gear. Back away, wait a few seconds, then try again carefully.
Bees Keep Attacking After Hive Placed
Ensure you’re using Bug Repellant or Ghillie Armor when retrieving honey. Otherwise, even your own bees may become hostile. It’s a good idea to build a small structure around the hive with a safe access point.
The Queen Bee in ARK is a unique tame that offers players access to an ongoing supply of honey, a resource vital for taming and crafting. Though the taming process requires preparation, precision, and some patience, the rewards are more than worth it. With the right setup, gear, and timing, taming the Queen Bee can be a smooth and rewarding part of your ARK journey, providing both utility and a subtle layer of base defense.