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Why Do All Bees Seem Like Killer Bees in Don't Starve?
A comprehensive guide to understanding and surviving the bee-pocalypse
Bee Behavior by Season
Select a season to see how bees behave during that time.
All Bees, All Killer? Understanding the Problem
If you've found that every bee in sight is acting like a homicidal maniac, take a deep breath – you're (probably) not experiencing a glitch. There's a seasonal menace built into Don't Starve: Spring.
Key Fact: During springtime in the Constant, all bees become aggressive "red bees", which look and behave almost exactly like killer bees. The cheerful yellow bees from other seasons put on their angry red coats and will attack anything that comes near.
In-universe explanation: bees hate rain – they have a "water allergy" or spring crankiness. The game reflects this by turning up bee aggression when spring season is active.
Is it a bug?
No, this is an intentional feature, not a bug! Since the Reign of Giants expansion (2014), bees turning aggressive in spring has been part of the game's seasonal challenges. The developers have not "fixed" this because it's not broken – it's a seasonal hazard to overcome.
Bees 101: Normal vs. Killer
Normal Bee (Worker)
- Appearance: Yellow with black stripes (Red in Spring)
- Source: Beehives and Bee Boxes
- Behavior: Neutral in normal seasons, aggressive in Spring
- Health/Damage: 100 HP / 10 Damage
- Drops: 50% Honey, 50% Stinger
- Usefulness: Makes honey, pollinates, needed for crafting
Killer Bee
- Appearance: Red with black stripes
- Source: Killer Bee Hives or normal hives when attacked
- Behavior: Hostile/aggressive by default
- Health/Damage: 100 HP / 10 Damage
- Drops: Typically only Stingers
- Usefulness: Combat aid, stingers for crafting
Important Distinction: "Red bees" in Spring are actually normal bees that are temporarily aggressive. If caught, they still count as normal bees in your inventory. True Killer Bees are a separate entity from specific Killer Bee Hives.
Beyond Spring - Other Causes
If you're experiencing "all killer bees" outside of Spring, there could be other explanations:
No Patch For This
Wondering if a recent update made bees more aggressive? The answer is no. The hostile spring bee mechanic has been around since the Reign of Giants DLC in single-player and from the beginning in DST.
There haven't been significant changes to wild bee behavior in recent patches, aside from minor fixes:
- Wormwood received a "Bee Kind" skill (2023) that prevents bees from attacking when harvesting
- Combat update (2022) slightly reduced bee attack range
- Fixed some bugs with Wickerbottom's Apicultural Notes
The bottom line: Spring bees being aggressive is an intentional feature, not a bug. The developers have given us tools to handle it rather than removing the challenge.
