Beeta Hive

Beeta Hive is a moderately radioactive nest built and serviced by Beetas. A hive converts Uranium Ore into Enriched Uranium and Nuclear Waste when a Beeta works it, and it can operate even as a self-sustaining source of radiation as long as Beetas keep delivering ore. The hive is part of the Beeta life cycle: Beetinys are the larval form, and when a Beetiny reaches age 2 near an existing hive it becomes a Beeta, but if no hive is nearby by nightfall it will instead slowly transform into a new Beeta Hive over the course of three cycles.

Beetas gather Uranium Ore and feed it into the hive, with the conversion being highly efficient compared to the Uranium Centrifuge. A hive can consume up to 10 kg of Uranium Ore per cycle and produce 9 kg of Enriched Uranium, although the actual amount converted depends on Beeta deliveries. This makes Beeta Hives a valuable way to process uranium if a colony can safely manage the creatures and their radiation.

The main drawback is their hazard level. While processing ore, the hive emits radiation pulses that spread several tiles from the opening, and the Beetas themselves also emit substantial radiation. A sleeping Beeta contributes over 1416 rads/cycle, while a Beetiny emits about 470 rads/cycle; the hive’s own processing pulses exceed 1800 rads/cycle. Duplicants working near them for long periods should wear Lead Suits to avoid radiation poisoning.

Practical management revolves around controlling when the Beetas sleep and where they gather. When Carbon Dioxide is present, Beetas and Beetinys enter a sleeping state and consume it at 100 g/s. This can be used to prevent stings while harvesting Enriched Uranium from a hive, and it also helps concentrate them for radiation harvesting. If they are submerged in a small amount of liquid, they can be prevented from sleeping, which allows them to grow normally instead of constantly entering dormancy.

A Beeta Hive will not function if the ground beneath it has been destroyed, so the terrain under the nest must remain intact. New hives can also be deliberately created by placing a Beetiny away from other hives and letting it age until it transforms. Because Beeta Hives can “replant” themselves this way when valid spaces exist, they can form an effectively endless uranium-processing loop, provided the colony can supply suitable conditions and tolerate the radiation they produce.