Beekeeper & Bee

25 min · $3-10 · Easy

One goes as the beekeeper in white with a mesh veil; the other wears yellow and black stripes with antennae.

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DIY this week — ~$3-10, 25 min

• Buy the mesh fabric, black tape, pipe cleaners, headband, and face paint.
• Beekeeper: drape the mesh fabric over the wide-brim hat so it hangs past the shoulders.
• Bee: wrap 3 to 4 black tape stripes around the yellow shirt and pants, evenly spaced.
• Bend the pipe cleaners into a V and tape them to the headband for antennae.
• The adult is the beekeeper: white outfit with the veil hat, since the mesh limits vision.

Tip: the beekeeper carries a small cardboard sign that says HONEY, and the bee poses mid-buzz next to it. One shared prop is what makes a pair read as a pair.

You need

• White long-sleeve shirt and white pants, 1 set (own, or buy: thrift store)
• Fine mesh fabric or a mosquito head net, 1 (buy: craft store or camping aisle)
• Wide-brim hat, 1 (own, or buy: dollar store)
• Yellow shirt and yellow pants, 1 set (own, or buy: thrift store)
• Black electrical tape, 1 roll (buy: dollar store)
• Black pipe cleaners for antennae, 2 (buy: craft store)
• Headband, 1 (buy: dollar store, or use your own)
• Yellow and black face paint sticks, 1 set (buy: craft store)
• Scissors, 1 pair

Steps

1. Buy the mesh fabric, black tape, pipe cleaners, headband, and face paint. Pull the white and yellow outfits from the closet.
2. Beekeeper: drape the mesh fabric over the wide-brim hat so it hangs past the shoulders, and tie it at the neck. Cut the face opening wide first, you can trim it neater after the first fitting.
3. Bee: wrap 3 to 4 black tape stripes around the yellow shirt and pants, evenly spaced. Press the tape flat so the edges do not peel.
4. Bend the pipe cleaners into a V and tape them to the headband for antennae. Add two black face-paint dots on the cheeks.
5. Safety: cut the veil opening wide enough that vision stays clear, and tie nothing tight around the neck. Use tape, not string, for the stripes so nothing unravels.
6. The adult is the beekeeper: white outfit with the veil hat, since the mesh limits vision. The smaller of the two is the bee: stripes with the antennae headband.
7. Optional pro finish: the beekeeper carries a small cardboard sign that says HONEY, and the bee poses mid-buzz next to it. One shared prop is what makes a pair read as a pair.

Common questions

How do you make a beekeeper veil you can see through?

Use fine mesh fabric or a mosquito head net draped over a wide-brim hat, with the face opening cut wide and the fabric tied at the neck, never taped to the skin.

Will the black tape stripes stay on all night?

Press electrical tape flat onto clean, dry fabric and it holds for an evening. For a longer night, use black felt strips with fabric glue instead.

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