Bee Husbandry

[Sidewinder7]

So the topic of Bee Husbandry has been raised and I thought it would be a good idea to create a discussion thread for it.

Given that the extent of ideas for implementing bee husbandry so far have mostly been "Hey, lets add bee husbandry!", I've created a list of primary questions to help focus things down.

This isn't a multiple choice quiz, and I certainly don't want/need/expect line-by-line answers, these questions are just to draw attention to key points that need to be decided on.

Any suggestions, requests, demands, discussions, and it'd-be-cool-ifs are welcome!

What should the purpose of engaging with the system be?

• Is beekeeping now essential to the optimal running of hydroponics?
  
• Is beekeeping just a fun/mildly productive way to pass time?
  

What is the end product of engaging with the beekeeping system?

• Can special bees be used to improve plant growth?
  
• Help produce valuable chemicals?
  
• Produce high value saleable honeycomb for the QM?
  
• Is it all just to create a swarm of multi-color bees that follow you around as pets?
  

What should the scope of the system be?

• Massive, with a huge variety of bee types and game-spanning implementation?
  
• Focused, with a set of possible results pertaining to an existing system (probably botany)?
  
• Limited, with a small set of interesting and varied results?
  

How accessible should the system be?

• Should beekeeping equipment be a standard part of hydroponics?
  
• Are bee-vats a proprietary technology that needs to be salvaged from the debris field?
  

What time investment is required to engage with the system?

• Should beekeeping be a round-long activity?
  
• A one-off activity that can be done whenever?
  

What level of randomness is involved?

• No randomness, like chemistry, with a set list of actions/results
  
• Old Patho levels of ?
  

What level of nerdistry is required/allowed?

• Can the system be effectively utilized by following a strict set of instructions? (basic chemistry)
  
• Is the system open-ended, with interesting results requiring interesting implementations? (mechcomp/dwaine)