Go Back
–+ servings
Art bee craft made from sticks and pipe cleaners with flower.

Make a Bee Tutorial

Charlotte Anderson @ Carolina Honeybees, LLC
Even young children can enjoy learning how to make a bee with this easy craft project. Using craft sticks and pipe cleaners, this honey bee will appear ready to get to work. A great learning opportunity.
5 from 3 votes
Print Instructions Pin for later

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Read my Disclosure.

Tools

  • scissors
  • Hot Glue Gun - with sticks
  • Paint Brushes Asst

Supplies
 

Instructions
 

  • Paint both sides of a craft stick bright yellow.
    Wooden craft sticks painted yellow to simulate a bee's body.
  • Take a black pipe cleaner and cut it in half. You will have two pieces about 6 inches long. This will make the bee legs.
    Bees have 6 legs so you need 3 pieces. (each one will make 2 legs)
    Black pipe cleaner cut in half.
  • Use a black marker or paint pen to draw a few broad stripes on the bottom half of the craft stick. Do both sides. On one side draw 2 eyes and a tiny mouth.
    Wooden stick painted yellow for bee body.
  • Place three of the half pipe cleaners under the wooden craft stick. These will be the legs.
    Three pipe cleaners with craft stick to make a bee body.
  • One at a time, grab each pipe stem and give it two twists to attach it to the yellow craft stick. Try to do so tightly but a little wiggle room is okay.
    Attaching black stems to wooden body.
  • Shape each pair of legs. Create a bend about midway for the bees knee and then bend the very ends to make bee tarsi or feet.
    Pipe stems shaped and curled like bee legs.
  • Take one of the clear velcro circles and cut it in half. Wrap a half around each one of the back legs of the bee you made.
    Somewhere between the knee joint and the foot. These will simulate pollen baskets.
    Clear velcro attached to pipe stems.
  • Use the opposing velcro circle on a small piece of yellow cloth. This is to simulate pollen. You can also use tiny yellow pom poms but I thought the cloth worked better for attachment.
    Placing velcro on cloth for bee wings.
  • If you wish - go ahead and wrap the yellow cloth pieces (pollen) around the back legs. Only do the back two legs - that is the only place bees have baskets.
    Craft bee made with yellow squares on back legs.
  • Cut a small 3 inch piece of black pipe stem and bend it in half. Use your hot glue gun to glue these (bee antenna) to the back of the bee body.
    Gluing small piece of pipe cleaner to make bee antenna.
  • If you wish, give your bee wings. Use the provided template (link in materials list in post)- print out on paper and draw on a few black lines to simulate veins. Use the hot glue gun to attach to back of bee body.
    craft honey bee with wings and legs.

Notes

Enjoy the time this craft provides to talk bees with your young friends.  For younger kids, you might do some precutting and offer glue assitance.
 
Learn more about bees and using products from the hive!Join me on Pinterest - @carolinahoneyb