Minecraft’s Buzzy Bees update is coming on December 11

Jonny Caldwell

What’s one thing that you can expect plenty of in every update of Minecraft? Bugs. And this update will be full of them—although this time we’re talking about the good ones, the buzzy kind that happens to be a critical part of the earth’s natural ecosystem. And starting December 11, they’ll also play an important role in Minecraft, as well.

The new creatures, Bees, will primarily reside in nests found on oak and birch trees, and will serve to be incredibly useful in improving crop yields due to their ability to spread pollen among plants. And in addition pollination, they’re also useful in supplying their homes with honey, which is both useful in restoring hunger as well as constructing viscous honey blocks.

To celebrate the addition of the new mobs, and to protect bees which are in danger of significant declines, Mojang will be offering apparel and merchandise at their online store, and more than 60% of proceeds will be donated to the World Wildlife Fund. The Microsoft-owned company is also donating an initial $100,000 to the organization to further kick off their initiatives.

And for those looking to learn more about bees, Mojang will also be hosting livestreams in the U.S., Brazil, and Australia on December 6, 7, and 8 respectively. They’re also going to run a community challenge on December 13 with “sweet rewards” for participants.

We’re still waiting for that highly anticipated Nether Update, which will bring new mobs and biomes and will make its current inhabitability an afterthought. Are you excited about these updates?