DIY ‘Bee Happy’ Wreath and Happy Earth Day

Create a ‘Bee Happy’ Wreath to celebrate gardening season and in honor of Earth Day. You’ll also learn what you can do to keep the bees and other pollinators happy.

  Calling all bee lovers and garden enthusiasts, I have an easy and fun craft project and DIY wreath for spring or summer! As the bees are beginning to buzz about in the garden again, this wreath is also a reminder to take care of our pollinators in honor of Earth Day.

I love seeing and hearing the bees buzz and bumble about the garden!

As bees in the garden make me happy, a ‘Bee Happy’ Wreath is a fun way to celebrate garden season and acknowledge the importance of pollinators for Earth Day and everyday.

An Earth Day message about the importance of pollinators:

Many pollinator populations are in decline attributed to a loss in feeding and nesting habitats. Pollution, the misuse of chemicals, disease, and changes in climatic patterns are all contributing to shrinking and shifting pollinator populations.

Somewhere between 75% and 95% of all flowering plants on the earth need pollinators. Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species and more than 1200 crops. We all need pollinators to ‘Bee Happy’ as they are responsible for 1 out of every 3 bites of food we eat.

In addition to the food that we eat, pollinators support healthy ecosystems that clean the air, stabilize soils, protect from severe weather, and support other wildlife. In addition to bees, other pollinators and beneficial insects include butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps and ants. About 1,000 of all pollinators are vertebrates such as birds, bats, and small mammals.

Gardeners are encouraged to create pollinator-friendly habitats with native flowering plants that supply pollinators with nectar, pollen, and homes. Select old-fashioned varieties of flowers whenever possible, since breeding has caused some modern blooms to lose their fragrance and/or the nectar/pollen needed to attract and feed pollinators.

This wreath was super fun to make and comes together quickly!  Here are the easy steps if you’d like to make one to celebrate the bees!

I started with a forsythia wreath I already had -> (see my DIY Spring Wreath with Blooming Wellies from last year). Note: Some of my supplies and embellishments were found on Amazon, so I’ve included the affiliate links for your convenience. For more information see my disclosure policy.

To ‘beef up’ the forsythia wreath I used a grapevine wreath as a base that I already had. I used some grapevine wire (from Hobby Lobby) to attach the two wreaths. If your wreath is substantial enough, you can skip this step. Alternatively use floral wire, chenille stems or cable ties to attach two wreaths.

After the two wreaths were secured, the fun begins!

I used an assortment of ribbon for the wreath. . .black and white checks in various widths, wire edged bee ribbon and yellow polka dot ribbon. I found 6-inch honey dippers to tie on to the wreath, along with some bees! The bees were sold as a set of shower curtain hooks that I removed.

I placed the honey dippers on wreath, spacing them and leaving room to tie on a bow. Once I determined the spacing, I tied the honey dippers onto the sprigs forsythia using black and white check ribbon, threading the bees onto the ribbon. Note: You could use a hot glue gun to attach any of your embellishments if you prefer. I decided to tie them on so I could reuse the embellishments and have the option to change up the wreath at a later date.

To make the bow, I used an easy bow-making technique to make a multi-ribbon bow, no bow-tying skills required! You’ll want to use wire-edged ribbon for best results. This is a great way to make a multi-ribbon bow if you have odds and ends of ribbon with just a little left on the spool, as you only need about a yard of ribbon per loop.

 I started by cutting the ribbon into 32 inch – 36 inch lengths, but you can vary your lengths as desired. I ended up using 10 loops / lengths of ribbon, so I used approximately 10 yards of ribbon in total. You can use less yardage by making your bow with fewer loops and shorter tails of ribbon if you prefer.

Form your loops to the size you want, pinching the ribbon loop in the middle. (My loops are about 5 – 6 inches using 10 – 12 inches of ribbon for the loop part.) If your ribbon has a pattern on just one side, twist the back tail of the ribbon around so your pattern faces to the front. Repeat the process with your ribbon holding your loops together and tie your loop off with a pipe cleaner / chenille stem or florist wire. I prefer pipe cleaners as they’re very forgiving, allowing you to adjust your loops, pulling the tail of your ribbon to adjust your bow as needed. When you are finished, cut the tails of your ribbon on an angle or in a notched-v shape.

A honey dipper with bee was tied on to the center of the completed bow on the wreath.

You can hang the wreath as is but I decided to add this decorative ‘Bee Happy’ Pitcher I found on Amazon to hang in the center.

The handle of the pitcher hangs on the hook of the wreath hanger and then wreath was added to hang over the hook.

I hung my ‘Bee Happy’ Wreath on the door of my Potting Shed and where I can see the bees buzzing around the flowers this spring as the garden begins to ‘wake up’!

Pollinators are crucial to the health of our ecosystems and food supply. . .

Keep Pollinators Happy. . .

🐝 Reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides. If you must use them, use the most selective and least toxic ones and apply them at night when most pollinators aren’t active.

🐝 Plant in clusters to create a “target” for pollinators to find.

🐝 Plant for continuous bloom throughout the growing season from spring to fall.

🐝 Select a site that has shelter from wind (by trees and shrubs), has at least partial sun, and can provide water.

🐝 Allow material from dead branches and logs remain as nesting sites; reduce mulch to allow patches of bare ground for ground-nesting bees to utilize; consider installing wood nesting blocks for wood-nesting natives.

If you love seeing bees, butterflies, birds and other wildlife visit your garden,

consider certifying it as a wildlife habitat.

 It’s fun, makes a positive difference and easier than you might think!

Find out more, HERE.

And provide a safe water source for the bees and other pollinators in garden

with a DIY Bee Watering Station.

It’s easy, can serve as a focal point and decorative garden ornament

or *bee* as simple as you like!

As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase anything through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

“The hum of bees is the voice of the garden.”

– Elizabeth Lawrence

Find 15 garden DIYs, projects and hacks to welcome spring,  HERE.

You’ll find tutorials and details to make Hand Stamped Garden Markers,

Mosaic Flower Pots, a Garden Hose Wreath, Gardener’s Sugar Scrub and more!

Thank you for your visit, sharing with:

 Between Naps on the Porch