Bee

''This article is about the harmful bee found in trees. If you are looking for the bee that is found in flowers, see Honeybee.''

Catching

When Stung

Bees are a harmful insect that appears in every game that, despite their appearance in large numbers, can only be caught in singular form. They are not visible to the player unless shaken out of their beehives.

Upon shaking down a beehive, the player displays the 'shock' emotion, and the bees chase the player down. The bees will chase the player until they either take cover in a building, catch the bee, or get stung. If stung, the player's left eye will swell up. Villagers will remark on a stung player's appearance, some reacting in fright, some (snooty villagers) chiding the Player for that attack, and some (cranky villagers) outright laugh at the player in amusement. If a beehive falls from a tree and the player goes to talk to a villager, they will say something in fear along the lines of "Get away from me!".

Swelling is resolved either by medicine or by simply by saving & quitting/restarting the game. They are worth 4,500 Bells in the GCN games, but their worth has decreased to 2,500 Bells in future games. Only 5 beehives are generated each day, and they cannot be found in fruit trees.

In Beehives can be picked up and sold for 500 Bells.

In Animal Crossing
Blathers will remark: ''"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 can only go so far. When all is said and done, they're still insects, and still ghastly!"''

In Wild World
Blathers will comment on the player's donation as follows:

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

The bee can be found on the tree in the bottom right corner of the second room. This is a rather odd place as the bee was found inside the tree and not on it.

In City Folk
Blathers will comment on your donation as follows:

"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?"

In New Leaf
In New Leaf an information board in the bug exhibit will list information about this bug.

"Bees are prone to attacking 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."

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

Animal Forest
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Strategy
Each game has a slightly different way of catching bees, though one method remains the same throughout. Although annoying at first, the bee is actually simple to catch.

When the tree has been shaken, the first action should be to equip the net. This is easier in GCN games as the entire game pauses when you open your inventory. In you have to be very quick. In it is simple too as you can just use the crosspad to switch between equipment (though make sure that your net is the next button press; you have no chance if you have to fiddle through other tools to find it!).

The next part is simple; run away. Bees can outrun the player on straight stretches, so it is important to turn frequently (though don't turn too sharply otherwise they will catch you). It is possible to endlessly run in circles without them ever touching you. The final part is the most tricky: to catch the bees you must turn back and swing the net at the area they will fly towards. As the bees have a very small collision block, the perfect angle is necessary. If you miss there is a chance to get a second or even multiple net swings while the bees are within stinging range by pressing the A button very quickly.

In there is an alternate method, though it is a little less reliable. When in your bag, wait for the bees to come around your head; they cannot sting you while you are in your inventory. To catch them, close the menu and mash the A button as fast as you can. There is a moment when the player has a priority in the coding events, so if you can swing the net during this time you will catch them assuming they happen to be in front of you.

In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, bees are now much easier to catch since opening your bag allows you to pause the entire game. However, your chances of catching a bee will be much easier if there's open space all the way in the upward direction. Once the nest has fallen to the ground, move all the way upward and stop to where you have a short fixed distance with you and the bees. Next, open up your inventory and equip the net--this will allow you to face the opposite direction on where you will be able to catch the bees. When you close down your inventory, hold down to the A button until the bees come into your direction. Once they get close to net length, swing your net immediately.

Further Information
The bee's in-game rendering is that of a Japanese Giant Hornet, which is a wasp, as opposed to a general bee. This translation error is caused by the fact that in Japan its name (大雀蜂) translates into "Giant Sparrow Bee" rather than the western word of "Hornet". Similarly, in China it is called 虎頭蜂 which means "Tiger Head Bee".

The Asian Hornet has a large amount of very potent venom which kills an upside of 60+ people every year in Asia. An allergic human stung by the giant hornet may die from a reaction to the venom, but the venom additionally contains a neurotoxin named mandaratoxin (MDTX) which is a single-chain polypeptide with a molecular weight of approximately 20,000 amu (atomic mass unit). If a sufficient dose is received, it can be lethal even to those who are not allergic.Each year in Japan, the human death toll caused by Asian giant hornet stings exceeds that of all other venomous and non-venomous wild animals combined, including wild bears and venomous snakes.