Build A Beehive Bee Tier List
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Every bee in Build A Beehive is tied to the flower it came from �?you cannot purchase or trade bees independently. That makes this bee tier list essential for understanding which flowers to target and which bees are worth keeping in your hive. We rank bees primarily by speed (m/s) and pollen carry, the two stats that together determine how much honey your garden produces per minute.
The in-game bee sidebar on the right side of your screen shows each active bee's individual stats. Use this panel to identify underperformers and plan upgrades. For a full stat reference of every bee type, see our complete bee database.
How Bee Stats Work
Bees continuously travel between their assigned flower and your hive. Each round trip deposits pollen that converts into honey. Two numbers control efficiency: speed (how fast the bee flies in meters per second) and carry (how much pollen it delivers per trip). Honey per minute equals trips completed multiplied by carry per trip �?so a bee that is twice as fast and carries ten times more pollen is roughly twenty times more productive, not just twice.
Travel distance matters too. A fast bee assigned to a flower far from the hive wastes time in transit. Always pair your strongest bees �?attracted by your best flowers �?with plots closest to the hive. Our optimal garden layout guide explains placement in detail.
S Tier �?Strongest Bees
Cactus Bee is one of the most powerful bees in Build A Beehive, clocking in at approximately 18 m/s with around 1,000 pollen carry. These numbers place it firmly in S tier for endgame players. Cactus Bees arrive when you plant Cactus-tier flowers, which are expensive and rare in the shop. If you obtain one, protect that flower plot and never shovel it unless you are replacing it with something even stronger.
Top-tier event and premium flower bees �?including those from Fire Blossom and similar high-end blooms �?also occupy S tier. These bees combine elite speed with carry values that dwarf mid-game options. Players chasing maximum honey output should build their entire front-row garden around flowers that produce S-tier bees.
A Tier �?High Performance Mid-to-Late Game
Tulip Bee is the benchmark for A-tier performance. It flies at roughly 14 m/s and carries about 130 pollen per trip �?a massive jump from starter bees. Most players first encounter this tier when they buy their first Tulip from a shop restock. The difference in honey income is immediately noticeable, which is why Tulip is the most recommended mid-game upgrade in the entire game.
Bees attracted by Sunflower, Bluebell, and other premium mid-tier flowers also land in A tier. They may vary slightly in exact speed and carry, but all share the same profile: fast enough to complete frequent trips and enough carry to make each trip meaningful. Cross-reference specific values in the bee database when comparing two A-tier options.
B Tier �?Acceptable but Replaceable
B-tier bees come from flowers between starter and premium tiers. They outperform Daisy Bee by a comfortable margin but cannot compete with Tulip Bee or Cactus Bee in a optimized garden. These bees are fine in temporary far-plot assignments while you save for better flowers, but move them out of hive-adjacent slots as soon as upgrades are available.
Check your bee sidebar regularly. Any bee with speed under 13 m/s and carry under 50 pollen in a front-row plot is a candidate for replacement. Shovel the underlying flower and replant with a higher-tier seed from the next shop restock.
C Tier �?Stepping Stone Bees
C-tier bees appear from low-cost flowers purchased during early progression. They keep honey flowing while you build initial income, but their stats plateau quickly. Once you have enough cash to buy Tulips consistently, C-tier bees become dead weight in valuable plots.
Do not feel bad about removing these bees �?upgrading the flower is the only path to a better bee. There is no separate bee upgrade system in Build A Beehive.
D Tier �?Starter Bees
Daisy Bee is every player's first bee. It moves at 12 m/s and carries only 5 pollen per trip. Those numbers are fine for learning the collect-and-sell loop, but Daisy Bee is the weakest bee you will ever have. The moment you can afford a Tulip, your first Daisy should be shoveled and replaced.
Keeping multiple Daisy Bees near the hive is the most common reason new players feel stuck. Two Tulip Bees outperform a full garden of Daisies. Read our get better bees guide for a step-by-step upgrade path from Daisy to endgame tiers.
Speed vs Carry �?Which Stat Matters More?
Both stats multiply together, so neither dominates in isolation. A bee with 18 m/s and 1,000 carry (like Cactus Bee) dominates because it excels at both. Among mid-tier bees, carry often shows the bigger jump �?Tulip Bee's 130 carry versus Daisy Bee's 5 carry is a 26x difference, while speed only increases from 12 to 14 m/s.
In practical terms, prioritize flowers that produce bees with high carry when speed values are similar. Use the honey calculator to model your garden's output before spending on expensive seeds.
Giant Bees �?Special Tier
Occasionally a planted flower mutates into a Giant Flower, attracting an oversized bee with boosted speed and carry beyond its normal tier. Giant Bees effectively break the tier list �?a Giant Daisy Bee could outperform a normal mid-tier bee. Never remove a Giant Flower regardless of its base type. Learn more in our giant flowers and bees guide.
Upgrade Path Summary
- Start: Daisy Bee (12 m/s, 5 carry) �?learn the loop.
- Mid-game: Tulip Bee (14 m/s, 130 carry) �?first major power spike.
- Late-game: Cactus Bee (18 m/s, 1,000 carry) �?endgame farming.
- Always: Place best bees in closest plots; shovel underperformers.
Match this bee tier list with the flower tier list to know which seeds to buy, follow the honey farming guide for income optimization, and check active codes for free seeds that skip early bee tiers entirely.