> The first map shown is a gloriously efficient honey farming operation: you have to plant a flower within the beehive’s radius, and you have to be able to walk up to the beehive, so this layout meets those rules, while doing so in a way that’s pleasing to the eye.

Not sure if you're referring to the same map I'm seeing first:

https://storage.googleapis.com/planner-renders/pink-mayfly-3...

It looks to me like there are a number of beehives that can't be accessed. Also some of them may be a bit far from the flowers.

EDIT: Additionally, when collecting from the beehives on the inside you would be more or less guaranteed to pull up your flowers on accident once they were full grown.