Silverwing Apiary

"There is something more powerful than each of us, a combination of our efforts, a Great Chain of industry that unites us. But it is only when we struggle in our own interest that the chain pulls society in the right direction..." - Andrew Ryan This article falls within the scope of the BioShock Wiki:Businesses Project. This project is dedicated to improving the articles about Rapture and Columbia's many businesses. Would you kindly help the BioShock Wiki by volunteering on the project page?

The main entrance to Silverwing Apiary.

“You wanna spend time with my honey bees, well, I'm gonna have to start charging you for the pleasure.”

― Tasha Denu

The Silverwing Apiary is a bee farm located in the Farmer's Market of Rapture. Jack must travel here to locate samples of the Bee Enzyme for the Lazarus Vector to restore the plants of Arcadia.

History

The very culture of Rapture was one of capitalism and enterprise. Even something as minute as Honey Bees were big business in the city under the sea. Tasha Denu recognized the vital role the tiny insects played not only in providing citizens with tasty honey, but also in sustaining life in Rapture through pollination of the plant life in Arcadia. With that in mind, she set up the Silverwing Apiary in a desirable location in the Farmer's Market.

The site became a center for bee cultivation, research, and commercialization, and the Silverwing flourished as patrons flocked to the business. One such visitor was acclaimed botanist Prof. Julie Langford who came to study the bees. It is likely that the Apiary was the inspiration for the mascot of the Rapture Stingers Football Franchise. Unfortunately, as violence and the Rapture Civil War erupted throughout the city, the Silverwing's business went up in smoke. Denu was killed, the economy collapsed, and the insects took over the apiary.

BioShock

Main article: BioShock

The Silverwing contains many white artificial beehives for the production of honey. A smoker control system could be operated by employees to calm the bees and allow for safe working conditions. However, much like the city itself, the apiary has fallen into disrepair, and the bee colonies have expanded to build natural hives outside of the controlled containers.

Entrance

The outer room in the apiary.

The entrance room of the apiary is where most of the business transactions were handled. The space features several hanging artificial beehives and an Audio Diary on the counter. As Jack first enters the building, he gets a demonstration of why it's a bad idea to mess with the hives without the aid of smoke when a Thuggish Splicer attacks one. There's a Gene Bank on one wall and Gatherer's Garden on the opposite is the first to offer the Insect Swarm Plasmid.

Smoker Control

A dangerous place, even for a Splicer.

Main article: Fanomatic

The central hive room contains many artificial and natural beehives. However, only the white ones can be searched for the needed Bee Enzyme.

The corridor adjacent to the central hive room contains two levers that trigger the Fanomatic smoke release system. Pulling one of these levers will start a timed release of smoke into the room, stilling the humming of the bees and allowing the player to move freely around the hives without being swarmed. However, each time a hive is searched a group of Splicers will also run into the room to attack the protagonist, distracting the player from searching each hive for the vital enzymes. There are some valuables in the Safe as well as ammunition if Jack can find them among the chaos.

New Discoveries

New Plasmids and Tonics (Available at a Gatherer's Garden)

• Insect Swarm - Price: 60 ADAM

Audio Diaries

1. Brigid Tenenbaum - ADAM Explained - Entrance, on the counter.

BioShock 2 Multiplayer

Silverwing Apiary in Multiplayer.

Main article: BioShock 2 Multiplayer

The Silverwing Apiary also appears in the Farmer's Market in BioShock 2 Multiplayer. Spanning two floors of the market, the apiary is located just west of the Market Square section. The lower level houses a flower shop and several stands for selling honey. The upper levels house the massively overgrown bee hives which will hum threateningly at any Splicer who ventures near. However, unlike in BioShock, these hives do not pose any danger and the insects cannot be roused even by direct firing on the hives. A broken wall at the back of the hive room can be broken to reveal a corridor of pipes that connects the apiary and the Central Square Bistro.

Gallery

An artificial beehive.

The controls for the smoker.

The smoker in action.

Behind the Scenes

The toned-down Bioweapon.

• An alcove off the main hive room of the apiary contains a Circus of Values and several work tables. On one of these tables is a device which resembles a pump-action bug sprayer. Though nothing more than a piece of set decoration, it is a pared-down version of the removed Bioweapon which served as the precursor to the Chemical Thrower. The item cannot be interacted with or moved using Telekinesis.
• Developer Jean-Paul LeBreton remarks on this area:
  • "The Farmer's Market was originally about twice as large with two somewhat symmetrical halves, one of which was cut for production as well as navigability reasons. I recall the Silverwing Apiary came into being around this time [summer of 2006] as well, partly as a way to justify the "enzyme samples" the player needed to collect for the Lazarus Vector, and partly because we'd just cooked up the plasmid that would become Insect Swarm.
  • I take full responsibility for the annoyance of anyone who had trouble smoking the bees and dealing with the Splicer ambushes that come when you search the hive boxes. I would definitely tone that down if given the chance today."
  • "For a long stretch of BioShock's earlier development, the apiary was where the "Bioweapon" was set to be introduced, a weapon that looked like a DDT sprayer and fired exotic ammunitions that would enrage enemies, repel them and send swarms of bees after them. It was cut mainly because it was too redundant with Plasmids. The bee swarms were its only unique feature, and after it was cut the Insect Swarm Plasmid came about to provide that functionality."
  • "The bees in BioShock are amusingly divisive. To some people they're a science-fictiony bridge too far, too silly to take seriously. To others, they're one of those uniquely weird BioShocky touches, erupting from your hand in a thoroughly gross way... somehow."
  • "Personally, I love bees."