Are you looking for a simple bee craft? Learn how to make bees from wood beads and wire! These little DIY bees are not only adorable but they are super easy to make!
Hey guys! I am back with another bee themed craft for you. Last week I shared these cute DIY beehives, and they were a hit with you all! Well, where there are beehives, there are bees! So today I am sharing how to make bees to go with your beehives. 🙂
These DIY bees are a super quick and easy craft to make, but they have a big impact! I think they are just super adorable and even Mr. Wonderful thinks so too! He said he thinks these bee crafts and mantel are his favorite yet!
They only take a couple materials to make them and they may be things you already have on hand. Each DIY bee took me less than 10 minutes to make, so you can make a whole hive in one afternoon. You can make them with either black or gold wire, or both like I did!
WATCH THE QUICK VIDEO
Don’t want to read all the instructions? I have included a video in this post showing you how to make bees. If you can’t see the video, turn off your ad blocker. Also, if you ever want to slow down the video, just click on the three dots in the lower right hand corner of the video and you can change the playback speed. If you want more detailed instructions, continue reading.
Supplies to make DIY bees
*There are links to products in this post that I use or are similar to products I use. If you buy something from one of these links, I may make a small commission (with no additional cost to you) from the purchase. I will not recommend anything that I would not buy myself.
- 18 gauge wire – gold and black
- Wood beads – I used the 16 mm and 14 mm sizes from this multipack
- Jewelry making tools
- Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
- Acrylic paint – colors shown in picture
- Small paint brush
- Bamboo skewer
Paint the wood bees
To make the bees look more realistic, I decided to paint the wood beads. You could also just leave the beads natural wood and that would look great too, but I was going for the black and gold look. An easy way, that I have learned from experience, to paint wood beads is to use a bamboo skewer.
This allows you to paint several beads at a time without getting your fingers painted on too! Paint the bigger 16mm beads gold and the 14 mm beads black. Put the beads to the side to allow them to dry, which they do very quickly.
How to make a bee
You will need some wire to make these little bees. I used some gold wire that I had on hand, which was 18 gauge I believe. I also used 20 gauge black wire, which was a little thinner wire but still worked. Honestly, I prefer the look of the thicker gold wire, so I would recommend 18 gauge wire for both. However, if you have some 20 gauge wire on hand, it will be fine. 🙂 Cut a piece of wire to about 17.5 inches in length.
Thread a gold bead onto the end of the wire about 1.5 inches down. Bend the wire underneath the gold bead at a 90 degree angle.
Start forming the wire so that is spirals around the bead. The wire is soft and pliable enough that you can just turn the bead and the wire will form to the shape of the bead.
Continue until you get to the top of the wood bead.
Form the bee wings
Form the wings using your finger as a guide to make a nice curve bringing the wire behind the wire sticking straight up. Make another wing of equal size on the other side bringing the wire in front of the wire sticking up.
Lastly tuck the wire under the first wing and bend the wire up so it is parallel with the wire sticking straight up. Doing it this way locks the wings in place. I did not do it like this on the video, unfortunately, so I had to readjust my wire which you did not see in the video. Just do it this way to start out with and it will make your life much easier as I found out! LOL
Place a black bead onto both wires and push it down onto the wings. You can add a dab of hot glue to help keep the bead secure. The hot glue does not stick to the wire very well, but it will to the beads if you get them both touching. This is not absolutely necessary but I did it just in case.
Using some wire cutters, cut the antennae down to about an inch each. Using some round nose pliers, grab the tip of one antennae and roll the end into itself. Repeat this with the other side as well.
Here is the wire bee from different angles. You can bend the wings up and back a bit to make it look like it is flying.
How to style your DIY bees
Speaking of flying bees, I styled mine in a couple ways as you will see soon on my bee themed mantel that I will be sharing with you. One of the ways I displayed my bees was hanging them from fishing wire so it looks like they are flying.
The other way was that I put them on the DIY beehives that I made. I just added a dab of hot glue on the bottom and stuck them to the beehive. You could also add them to flowers or add a small clothespin to the bottom so you can attach them to anything! These DIY bees could also be made into jewelry like earrings or a necklace. They could be easily incorporated into a tablescape as napkin rings or place holders. The ideas are endless!!
What do you think of these little wire bees? Do you like the gold or black wire one better? I will be back soon to share my bee themed mantel with you but until then have a wonderful week!
Hello! I am so glad you came to visit my site today. I hope you can take something from here to inspire you or just make you smile.
These bees are so gorgeous and easy enough even for me to try, thank you so much for sharing this tutorial.
You are welcome! I’m glad you like them! 🙂
it was hard to tell in the pic but where do you tie the wire when you want to have the bee flying? I making windchimes and these guys are perfect for me
Hi Beverly! There is a picture towards the end of the post that shows where I tied the fishing line. It is tied onto the wire on the back of the bee in between the two beads.
Thanks. It’s gets easier the more you do! I’ve made 14!! Love these!
LOL! That’s great! 🙂
me encantó. las voy a hacer para mi hija. muchas gracias.
The bees are so cute. I will attempt to make them. I do like the black wire the best😎
Thank you Suzanne!!
Adorable!! going to be the first craft I try in the New Year. A friend is hooked on bees and I will be gifting them to her. Thanks so much for the detailed instructions. I may also try to make the hive. If I do-I’ll post a picture to you.
Thank you Barbra! I would love to see if you make them. Happy crafting!!
Love!
Hi, I am just starting to explore making figures with wire, this is a wonderful starting place. Thank you so much
You are so welcome Ann! Happy crafting!
These bees are precious! I love the way you made this tutorial. You showed the entire process and made it easy enough for someone like me to understand! Thank you so very much for sharing this video!
Thank you Susan! I am so glad it was helpful for you! Have a wonderful day! 🙂
having a hard time figuring how to hold first bead in place to start wrapping
Hi Denise! It helps to make sure to bend the wire underneath the bead at a 90 degree angle first, then you can hold that down close to the bead as you start wrapping the wire around the bead. Hope this helps! It takes just a bit of practice but you will get it! 🙂
Hi, this tutorial is the best; very detailed, which I appreciate! I’m going to make some! I like the black wire best…it shows up better, but both are cute! Thank you. I’m going to sign up.
Thank you Val! I am glad the tutorial is helpful. I agree that the black wire shows more. Happy crafting!! 😁
I love this idea and application, thankbyou!! I have not yet decided whether I like the black or gold better. I have a grandbaby arriving in a few weeks to a winnie the pooh room so I will be suggesting this fun for my daughter and I to stay busy in the last days of anticipation!
Hi Amy! Oh, these bees would be perfect for a Winnie the Pooh themed room! Congratulations to you and your daughter!
Hi, I’ve made 4 now & i’m having trouble keeping the wire tight & even as I’m wrapping. Suggestions?
Thx, Val
Hi Val! The wire going around the bead for the stripes on the body was not super tight to the bead on mine either. Just as long as it stays in place is the main concern. Make sure you are holding the end of the wire secure at the bottom of the bead when you start wrapping it around the bead. This will help to get a tighter spiral. Hopefully this helps a bit. 🙂
For the life of me I can not find the video for the beads and wire bees. Any help is appreciated…Thank you
Hi Jettie! You may have an ad blocker turned on that is preventing the video from showing on your screen. Turn that off and refresh your screen and it should show up. It looks like a picture with the triangular play button in the middle and a black bar along the top of the picture.
I love them. I’ve just made a few & they get better each time. Thank you, Sue Ber 🐝
That is great! You are so welcome Sue Bee. 🙂 Cute name!
My sister’s nickname is “Bee.” Her home burned down last month, and she lost everything. I am going to make these bees…and the beehive to brighten her day!
Oh no!! So sorry to hear that for her! That is very nice of you, I am sure she will love them! 🙂
Just wonderful ! I must try them .
Thanatos you so Mach.
BeeBee -Maïté
I love the bees trying to make them, but I’m not getting the wings in the space between the head and body correct. I can’t figure out how to twist them and keep them close together
Hi Dee! You can squish the two beads together after twisting the wire, this will help to close the gap. Hopefully this helps!
How cute are these little bees?! I‘m totally in love <3.
my first thought was, that I like the gold ones more. I watched both for a longer time… the black ones are cool, too. But for me gold is more harmonious :).
I definitively will make them … for me, as presents, …. 🙂
Thx for this brilliant idea
Awww… thanks Julia! You are so welcome! 🙂
Cute! Wondering how well these would work for a magnet. What do you think? Thanks!
I think they could work as magnets as well if you able to get the magnet attached to the bee body. It may be tough due to the curved bead but worth a try!
I’m pretty good at crafting. This definitely takes lots of practice! Adorable idea, “Bee-utiful”. Thank you for the instructions, now if you could just send me some patience.
LOL! Thanks Shelly! You can do it, I promise! 🙂