In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Carpenter Bee in 5 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.
The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.
Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.
At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Carpenter Bee.
Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.
How to Draw a Carpenter Bee - Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: Draw a curved rectangle and add two bent lines to the top of it.
Step 2: Using the image as a guide, draw a hook shape that is closed off by a sharp curve on one side under the head. Draw a second wing that looks like a mirror opposite of it on the other side.
Step 3: Draw a curve that connects the bottom of the wings. Draw some lines between the wings.
Step 4: Draw a bent line near the head, another at the middle of the body, and another near the rear. Repeat on the opposite side of the body.
Step 5: Add some lines on the wings. You are done! You can color your carpenter bee black with yellow markings. There are roughly 500 species of carpenter bee. These large, stocky insects are often mistaken for bumble bees. These bees are actually often solitary, but they will comfortably build their nests near other carpenter bees, sometimes even splitting labor between their neighbors.
Interesting Facts about Carpenter Bees
Carpenter Bees are wide spread all over Europe. They are called Carpenter Bees because they build their nest in wood structures or holes in wood. Sometimes a Carpenter Bee will live alone, but a lot of female bees will live together and tend to a nest. Male bees only come around for mating season. There are two styles of getting a mate. One is the male waits around the nest until the female lets him mate with her. While the other is he releases a scent for the female to follow so they can mate. Carpenter Bees will use chips of the wood around them to make their nests. These pieces are used for “cells” that house 1 egg is laid with a ball of pollen for food into the cell.
Did you know?
- Carpenter Bees are one of the largest bees in Europe.
- There are 500 species of Carpenter Bee.
- Female Carpenter Bees are the only ones who will sting. Males can’t sting, but they do warn off intruders.
- Carpenter Bees drill holes into wood by chewing through it and vibrating their bodies to make perfectly round holes.
- Carpenter Bees are a sign that wood is starting to rot and needs to be replaced. The bees don’t eat the wood, but old wood is easier to drill into for a nest. A tip to avoid Carpenter Bees is to paint all the wood around your home. Paint makes the wood harder and the bees can’t chew into it.
Theme: There are hundreds to species of bee. Why not base a whole week’s curriculum on bees. Decorate the classroom with flowers and drawings of flowers and hang some honeycomb cells up around to look a little like a hive. It could be a fun environment to learn about one of nature’s most busy pollinators.
How to Draw a Carpenter Bee – Step-by-Step Tutorial