Minecraft wiki entry for Honey_farming, associated text: There are two main ways to avoid this fate: One is to place a lit campfire (or even fire) directly underneath the hive. A campfire can be within five blocks underneath the hive, if nothing blocks the smoke. This "smokes" the hive, so that harvesting does not aggravate the bees. However, a campfire (let alone a fire block) also damages mobs that touch it, and bees are no exception. In Java Edition, you can put the campfire just below ground level, with a carpet over it. The carpet does not block the smoke, and the covered campfire can stay there forever, allowing you to harvest the nest or hive. A trapdoor also works just as well. In Bedrock Edition, carpeting the campfire blocks the smoke. It is best to put the campfire in a hole below the beehive and put a fence around the hole to prevent animals from burning themselves (this works in Java Edition too).