Bees are the most popular insects on the planet. Naturally, bee craft ideas abound for kids and adults. Painting rocks is a fun pastime for many people. They come in all sizes and can be decorated to resemble almost anything – even bees. Make your own bee painted rocks to decorate your bee garden or give as gifts.

Smooth rocks painted like bees on a bed of moss image.

Fun & Easy Bee Painted Rocks

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Crafting can be a relaxing hobby. And, projects that make use of natural materials are especially meaningful to many of us. The ability to take something simple and common – like a rock and produce a beautiful project is wonderful.

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Now you can make your stone bee craft as elaborate as you wish. Adding special paint, creative markings and fabric or plastic wings if you desire. But, you can also use the most basic paint and designs.

Three rock painted bees in a garden image.

This step by step guide on how to make painted bee rocks will get you started. Then, let your creative juices flow and have fun with the project. First, we need to gather our materials.

Choosing Rocks for Your Bee Paint Project

Any type of rock or stone will work as long as the surface is smooth. Small flat river rocks work best for me. If you have access to river stones, gather a few small ones that are smooth and oval shaped.

Of course, your bee rocks don’t have to be small. You can create a giant bee decoration for the garden – but you had better buy a lot of paint!

For those of you who do not live in an area with natural river rock (or are forbidden to collect them), check out a local yard materials business. Mulch yards often carry decorative stone too!

Materials rocks, paint, brushes and sealer for rock painting image.

Another option, purchase small craft stone from a local hobby supply or order them online. Craft stone will be clean and ready to use. If you gather rock from a river or supply yard, wash it with clean water before you start.

Rock painting can be a lot of fun. You do not have to worry about small pieces or things getting broken. A little preparation and water based paint makes clean up a breeze.

DIY Painted Bee Rocks

Create cute painted bee rocks to use for decoration in your garden. They also make great gifts and are a creative way to introduce the subject of bees to kids. Coat them with sealer and they will look beautiful for several seasons.

Materials Needed:

6 small river rocks – or any smooth porous stone
acrylic paints ( yellow, black, white)
paint marker – black
acrylic gloss/matter sealer spray

Tools:

craft paint brushes for acrylics – 1 small , 1 medium

Time needed: 2 hours.

Step by step instructions to create your own bee painted rocks for decoration or play.

Paint the Base Color for Bee Body
Use yellow acrylic paint to paint a base color on each stone. Paint the top and bottom allowing it to dry. Then, add a second coat of yellow for best results.
Give Your Bee Craft Eyes
Use a small craft brush to paint a pair of small white circles on the top of each stone. After the white paint has dried for a few minutes, add a dot of black paint to each.

These represent eyes but real bees have 5 eyes! And, when bees sleep, they do not close their eyes!
Adding Black Stripes to Your Bee Rock
Not every honey bee has vivid stripes – however this is the classic markings associated with bees.

Use your medium sized brush to paint 2 or 3 wide black stripes on the top side of each bee rock. I suggest leaving the bottom of the bee solid yellow.
Paint on the Wings
Rather than purchase another paint – I mixed a few drops of white and black paint together to create a custom gray.

Using a small brush create a pair of wings on the top side of each bee. Real honey bees actually have 4 wings – but for our project a representation of wings will do. You can add a few black dashes of color on the wings to simulated the veining that gives real wings their strength.

For years, researchers could not understand how bees fly. The body of the honey bee seems too large for their wing size. Bees didn’t know this of course – so they flew anyway!
(Optional) Positive Message
This step is optional. You might want to use a black paint marker to create a short message on the bottom of your bee rock.

Keep it short – so the writing will be easy to read. You can choose any message you wish.
Spray Your Finished Bee Rock with Sealer
Use a clear, acrylic sealer spray to coat both sides of your bee craft.

Let each side dry well before flipping it over to spray the other side. This is protect the paint and allow your craft to look nicer for a long time.

What to do With Your Bee Rocks

Now that you have a group of cute bees, what can you do with them? They make great decorations in and around the house. And, they can be used outside in your garden space too!

place painted bee rocks near bee friendly flowers in your garden
give them as gifts for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or even Christmas
bee rocks make great thank you gifts for beekeepers or other bee lovers
create games to play with small children (hide and seek) etc
paint positive messages on your bees and leave them in different locations around town

Three rocks painted to look like bees in a garden image.

Final Thoughts on Making Painted Bee Rocks

The ideas mentioned above are only a few of the many ways you can get involved in the effort to save bees. Information and education on the importance of bees and other pollinators leads to conservation.

This fun bee craft is one way to get people “thinking bee”. And if your bee rocks need a place to live… make them a cute tiny Bee Skep Craft. And if you think they might be a bit lonely, buzz into recycling with these whimsical Golf Ball Bees!