Decorative beehives are made by wrapping rope around a bowl-shaped base and adding a black entrance hole — a one-evening craft with under $10 in supplies.
Building a beehive for decoration doesn’t require woodworking skills or live bees. The most popular method wraps jute or cotton rope around an upside-down planter pot, then adds a simple painted entrance to mimic a traditional woven skep. These rustic hives suit farmhouse shelves, spring tablescapes, and garden displays — and the whole project takes about an hour once you’ve gathered supplies.
One option if you’d rather buy than build: our roundup of tested bee kitchen decor pieces covers ready-made options for every room. For the DIY route, read on.
What You Need For A Rope-Wrapped Beehive
Almost every decorative beehive tutorial follows the same material list, whether the base is a pot or an Easter egg. These supplies appear consistently across the gathered sources.
- Upside-down plastic planter pot or a large plastic Easter egg top for the dome shape
- Jute, cotton, or sisal rope (about ⅜ inch thick works best)
- Hot glue gun with extra glue sticks
- Black paint or black felt for the entrance opening
- Scissors and a small bowl to hold the inverted pot steady
Optional extras include silk flowers, ribbon, wooden beads, and skewers. Hot glue burns fingers quickly, so keep a cup of cold water nearby — several tutorials pause to warn crafters on this exact point.
How To Make A Beehive: The Basic Rope Method
Turn the planter pot upside down so the flat bottom faces upward — that flat surface becomes the hive’s top. Begin gluing the rope’s end at the pot’s rim, then spiral upward around the sides, coiling each row tightly against the one below.
The single most repeated tip across every tutorial: glue each rope coil to the previous coil, not to the pot itself. This keeps rows neat and prevents gaps from showing. Apply glue sparingly so it doesn’t squeeze out between the rows.
When you reach the top, cut the rope and secure the end with a final dab of glue. If you run out of rope mid-project, glue the end down, start a fresh piece at the same spot, and continue the spiral — forcing a loose join makes a visible seam.
Add a looped handle by bending a length of rope into a U shape and gluing both ends to the hive’s top. Then paint a small black oval or circle on the front for the entrance, or cut one from black felt and glue it in place. A rope “landing pad” just below the entrance adds a convincing touch.
Variations: Easter Egg, Foam Ball, And Paper-Mache Bases
The rope technique adapts to any dome-shaped base. A large plastic Easter egg’s top half works beautifully: wrap jute around it using the same spiral-and-glue method, then add crossed skewers and a loop handle for a woven-skep look. Celebrate & Decorate shared that approach in 2023.
Foam craft balls and small containers work the same way — secure the rope end, spiral tightly, and glue every few turns. For a flat-bottomed hive, leave the container’s base unwrapped and cover it with felt or burlap.
Paper-mache offers a lighter alternative: cut a round cardboard form, tape the exposed edges, dip newspaper strips in a water-and-flour paste, and layer them over the form. After drying, paint the hive a honey-gold tone, add texture with a stipple brush, and finish with the black entrance. This version takes longer but creates a seamless surface that rope can’t match.
For a simple kids’ craft, stamp bubble wrap with yellow paint to make a honeycomb pattern, cut it into a hive shape, and glue it onto paper with a branch and paper leaves. Super Simple published that no-glue-gun version, making it the safest choice for little hands.
References & Sources
- Carol Adams Creations. “How to Make a Decorative Beehive.” Pot-and-rope method with full step-by-step photos.
- Celebrate & Decorate. “How to Make a Bee Hive Decoration.” Easter-egg dome variation with skewer accents.
- Ruffles and Rain Boots. “Easy Dollar Tree Beehives DIY.” Budget-friendly version using dollar-store supplies.
